IT’S one of the UK’s oldest boroughs, but Barnstaple is being plagued by a new wave of crime and antisocial behaviour driven by teenage yobs who are “out of control”.
Residents in the picturesque riverside town in North Devon are bracing themselves for the upcoming Easter holidays, fearing these destructive schoolboys and girls will run riot through the High Street and harass local traders.
When The Sun visited this week, distressed locals told how vandalism, brazen drug-dealing and using on the streets and a homeless community taunted by abusive youths are among the list of woes they regularly endure.
In the local park, where street-sleepers have pitched tents in the bushes, a man complained he’d recently had his slashed by a heartless lout.
One shop-owner, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, told how their store windows have been smashed frequently.
“There’s a huge problem with anti-social behaviour in Barnstaple, it’s gone right downhill in the past couple of years,” they said.
“I’ve been called a c*** in the past before I’ve even opened up in the morning. We’ve seen drug deals happening right outside our window and gangs of youths hanging around.
“People from all over the country come here and say, ‘What on earth has happened to Barnstaple?’
“The council don’t do much and the police have lost control of the town.”
Beauty therapist Sophie Mclear, 26, works at the Powder Room off the High Street, which is owned by her mum Katrina.
She told how she chased down a group of kids aged between 11-16 after they smashed up her advertising chalk-board before running off.
Sophie said: “A group of them came past, kicked the chalk-board outside the salon and it went up in the air and smashed on the ground.
“I came out and chased them up the street. When I caught up with them, I tried to reason with them, but children being the children they are nowadays, they weren’t easy to reason with.
“I wanted to ask why they did it and try to get some money back for the sign.
“I chased them around a nearby car park for about 20 minutes and eventually caught up with them. Luckily a member of the public urged them to ‘do the right’ thing and come with me.
“We are a small business, we’re not like Tesco - £150 for a new sign is a big loss for us.
“A community police officer came and took statements.
“The following week the group all walked up and down Holland Walk where the salon is to try to intimidate us, but it didn’t work.”
Sophie said the level of abuse from these gangs of young people has got worse - and criminal acts like this cost small businesses dearly.
“Anything vandalised comes out of the owner’s pocket,” she said.
“We have a lot of elderly clients who are a bit more timid, and it’s intimidating for them, especially when it’s a big group.
“The teen problem in the town and the vandalism that comes with it is quite high and difficult to deal with.
“There’s not a lot for kids to do here, other than paid clubs, and money’s quite scarce, which means they end up just hanging around in the town.”
Inside the town’s colourful Pannier Market, traders were reluctant to give their names for fear of reprisals.
One told us: “The teenage gangs run riot through here. They can be gangs of up to 12 who come in and cause chaos.
“If you challenge them they’ll make you a target, pretend to steal things and generally cause a nuisance of themselves.
“There’s not a lot the police can do but move them on, but they always come back.
“One of the vendors once wrestled a kid to the ground because we’re pretty much left to deal with it on our own.
“Anti-social behaviour from these small groups is out of control.”
Harry Wallace, 30, is a full-time musician who lives in nearby Bideford and visits Barnstaple every week.
While he finds the people of the town friendly, he’s witnessed loutish behaviour and had people try to nick the money he makes from busking.
“I’ve seen… people being drunk before 12 o’clock, people throwing God knows whatever on the floor,” he said.
“I’ve seen drunk people yelling, gang behaviour, especially from some of the younger groups.
“They tend to antagonise and try to get away with stuff, and because of that the older generation might snap back and question their behaviour.
“I’ve had people get a little ‘handsy’ with the money that’s been put on the floor for me, or you’ll get the street sleeper asking for money and assume it’s ok to take it.
“Others, usually if they’re drunk, will grab the microphone, which is annoying.”
I’ve had people get a little ‘handsy’ with the money that’s been put on the floor for me, or you’ll get the street sleeper asking for money and assume it’s ok to take it
Harry Wallace
Former photocopy engineer Tony Flynn, 66, who became a Big Issue coordinator distributing magazines and selling them himself in Barnstaple, told how he’s been hounded in the street by gangs of youths.
“You get groups of young people hanging around, especially in the half-term, and the police have to come and deal with them,” he said.
“They used to hang around by the library playing loud music.
“I’ve had one incident where they were shouting at me, calling me silly names, but it got dealt with by the community support officers going to the school to talk to them.”
Tony added: “There used to be at least 11 beggars, drinking and gangs hanging around on the benches.
“Some are still here but they’ve been pushed out of the centre.
“I’ve seen windows smashed - I think it happens after hours, not in the day, but it shouldn’t be happening.”
Barnstaple introduced street marshals in 2022, and while some say the anti-social behaviour and vandalism is an increasing problem, others think it has improved.
Local butcher Gratton’s is a family run business on Boutport Street, away from the busy High Street where most of the crime and vandalism happens.
On arrival in the town centre we were greeted by the sight of two police officers near the butchers, who then met up with two street marshals.
There was, however, the faint aroma of cannabis and a couple of street sleepers discussing which direction the drug dealer had walked up the road.
Darren Gratton, 44, said: “I think it’s better than it used to be.
People did use to take drugs in the phone boxes outside the shop, but that seems to have stopped
Darren Gratton
“Since Covid and since the street marshals were introduced, I think Barnstaple is on the up.
“We’ve been here 40 years so obviously we’ve had our window smashed once or twice.
“People did use to take drugs in the phone boxes outside the shop, but that seems to have stopped.
“I think it’s improving because there’s more of a presence and the council and police are pulling together more.”
Local estate agent Lorraine Brookes, 60, lives in the neighbouring countryside and said it’s sad to see so many homeless people on the streets in the town.
“I don’t think the council do enough to try to help them out,” she said.
“They should do more so people don’t have to live like this.”
“I don’t know why all these new homes have to be built when there are derelict buildings nearby which could be done up instead.”
North Devon Council's Service Lead for Housing, Vulnerable Persons and Community Safety, Natasha Rowland, told The Sun it has a team in place to help individuals who want to come off the streets, or are yet to find suitable accommodation, and offer support for those who prefer to stay there.
She said: “People sometimes assume that individuals who are begging in our town centres are rough sleepers.
“This is not always the case. Most of those begging on the streets are not people in temporary difficulties trying to make ends meet. Instead they are individuals who have become dependent on a begging income, often to support dangerous addictions.
“Support is available for people who need it and nobody needs to beg on the streets to survive.”
The town recorded 37 reported cases of anti-social behaviour per 1,000 people in 2021 - 58 per cent higher than the South West average and 86 per cent higher than Devon's average crime rate.
Barnstaple reportedly is the most dangerous small town in the county, and the third most dangerous of all towns, villages and cities, according to .
The annual crime rate in the county of Devon is 0.3 per 1,000 people each year, as of December 2023.
Violent crimes make up 33.4 per cent of all those reported in the county.
A representative for North Devon Council added: “We work in close partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and other partners to address antisocial behaviour.
“We have an antisocial behaviour Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) within Barnstaple town centre which allows us to directly deal with the conduct that can have a damaging impact on people’s lives and local businesses.
“The PSPO empowers the police and our own ASB officer, neighbourhood wardens, Civil Enforcement Officers and street marshals to address negative behaviour and ensure the town centre is a place residents and visitors can enjoy safely.
“Persistent offenders may also be dealt with through formal warnings, notices and court enforcement action..
“Street marshals have been in the town centre since November 2022, funded by the council following a successful pilot of the scheme through the Government’s Safer Streets fund.
“The street marshals are on duty seven days a week and have delegated powers to enforce the PSPO in Barnstaple town centre.
“The overwhelming response from local businesses and the public is that the marshals are having a hugely positive impact, with the majority seeing reductions in incidents of antisocial behaviour, street drinking and drug use.”
Barnstaple Sector Inspector Andy Wills said: “Across the force, antisocial behaviour incidents recorded by Devon and Cornwall Police have been reducing year on year since 2021. Last year, Barnstaple town centre saw a 20.9% reduction of antisocial behaviour, with a reduction of over 14% across the entire Barnstaple sector.
The Barnstaple town centre neighbourhood has seen a consistent reduction in overall incident demand since 2021, with total reported incidents falling by around 12% each year.
“However, we are never complacent and are aware of the local feeling amongst our community and recently issued a survey to gather public views in the town.
“We’ve spent the past month reaching out to Barnstaple residents, both online and through face-to-face engagements, to understand which issues are of greatest concern to them, and as promised, those issues will be our focus as part of our latest operation.
“The survey results have been really interesting - some matters raised are those which are managed by other agencies such as the County and District Councils, for incidents like on-street parking and dog fouling. We will share information and look to work under our existing partnership to respond to these issues collectively.
“The most commonly complained about issue during our online poll was speeding motorists with 22% of respondents prioritising this. This shows clear public support for enforcement activity to target speeding which is a contributary factor in many fatal or serious injury collisions.
“Other commonly cited issues were the use and supply of drugs, and a need for us to also focus on public place sense of safety through deterrence, prevention, and enforcement action towards those who are antisocial, abusive, or aggressive and violent.
“Local people and visitors to the town can expect to see increased levels in our visibility and activity during this period targeting nuisance and criminal behaviour, which we will communicate via social media throughout.
“We have also provided a visible presence to respond to concerns about street-based violence and nuisance or abusive behaviour. The team use a range of measures and positive action to deal with issues through dispersal powers and prosecution, high visibility foot patrols, and activity with licensed traders who are linked to the evening and night-time economy.
“Anyone who has concerns of crime in their local area is advised to contact us, we are part of the community and want to hear from you.”
HERE is some useful information if you are homeless or know someone who is experiencing homelessness.
FIRST CONTACT
If you or someone you know is sleeping rough you can use the alert Streelink service to help connect them with outreach services:
FOOD
You can find free food stations via:
The Pavement - for food and soup runs:
Homeless Link - for day centres:
The Trussell Trust - for food banks:
Food Cycle - for food services -
HOUSING
Councils have a duty to help people who are homeless or facing homelessness. Contact the Housing Options team from the council you have a local connection to and see if they can offer:
Visit:
During times of severe cold or heat, local councils have special accommodation known as Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP). Find out more here: .
For advice, support or legal services related to housing visit or call 0808 800 4444.
You can also contact Crisis:
For housing advice, call Shelter on 0808 800 4444 or visit: .
DAY CENTRES
Day centres can help by providing internet access, free or cheap food, shower and laundry facilities, safe storage for belongings, phone charging and clothes, toiletries or sleeping bags.
They can also help with services for benefits or immigration advice; health support; finding work; educational or social activities; hostel, night shelter or outreach referrals.
Centres can be found through Homeless Link:
BENEFITS
Normally you can claim Universal Credit if you are sleeping on the streets or staying in a hostel. If you are in a hostel, you can claim Housing Benefit to help with rent. You do not need a fixed address or a bank account.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Crisis - visit: or call 0300 636 1967.
Shelter - visit: or call 0808 800 4444.
Centrepoint (for people aged 16-25) - visit: or call 0808 800 0661.
St Mungo’s (Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Christchurch, Leicester, Oxford, Poole and Reading) - visit: or call 020 3856 6000.
Depaul UK (for young people) - visit: or call 0207 939 1220.
Citizen's Advice (legal advice) - visit: or call 0345 404 0506.
The Samaritans (health and wellbeing) - or call 116 123.
