An Independent councillor from Peasedown St John has written to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon & Somerset asking for urgent action to step-up police patrols in his village.
Cllr Gavin Heathcote is an Independent member of Bath & North East Somerset Council who has called on Labour’s Police Commissioner Claire Moody to ‘get a grip’ on the rise of anti-social behaviour and youth crime that has been occurring in Peasedown St John over the last couple of weeks.
In recent weeks, villagers have reported trees being broken, bus shelters being smashed, property being vandalised and wildlife being abused and tortured.
In an Open Letter to the Police Commissioner this week, Cllr Gavin Heathcote said:
“The time has come for change in our rural communities, we have continuously been told that we will see more police officers on the streets, more enforcement, more boots on the ground, and yet we still wait just as we have done for years previous.
Local residents have had enough of half empty promises and a complete lack of support from what is meant to be an emergency service – one that is proactive, but at times is not even reactive.”
Cllr Heathcote continued: “We are continuously harassed by people on E-scooters, E-bikes, and scramblers, all with faces covered all with no helmets all riding around cause havoc causing alarm and distress to our residents, swearing riding on pavements causing damage snapping trees kicking through glass on bus shelters and throwing rubbish around, and why?
Our fantastic PCSOs are very small fish in a very big pond with very little support and very little powers, our actual police have not been seen or present in the village in months.”
Cllr Gavin Heathcote and his colleague Cllr Karen Walker (Independents) hold regular advice surgeries and drop-in sessions for residents at Peasedown Community Library. The next one will be held on Saturday 2nd August from 10am – 11am. Anyone who has concerns about anti-social behaviour should report it to the police in the first instance. They are also welcome to speak to Gavin and Karen at their next Advice Surgery.
Too much anti social behaviour going on in Peasedown recently. Some extremely vile animal abusers, not just one group either.
I don’t like to go out my front door or walk anyway these days after having a youth on a trials bike swerve towards me as I was filming him, masked up and obviously trying to scare me.
Music blaring all the time and tonight 2/8/25 a car floored it up Laxton Way, which is a dead end. brake skidded at the top, and floored it back down. Why? What about the children out on bikes and the children in the park nearby?
Why do we have to endure this? Makes thoughts of moving a huge reality when you fear where you live