KNIFE-WIELDING gangs of school kids as young as 10 are terrorising a small town dubbed "worse than the Bronx".
The young yobs have hurled bricks through shop windows, started fires and taunted police officers who are embroiled in an endless battle to restore law and order to once-sleepy Blackwood, Wales.
Groups can be as big as 20, with both boys and girls, who are mainly aged below 18, including one young woman fuming locals claim has been arrested nine times in just ten days.
The bizarre reign of terror, which has seen incidents range from the faintly ridiculous to potentially deadly, has cast a shadow over the otherwise pleasant town in the county of Gwent.
Last week the council held a meeting with cops after a terrifying rampage saw one teen chased by another through the town with a blade.
Running for his life, the desperate boy sought refuge in a family friend’s house, before calling the police.
Blackwood town council staged an emergency meeting in response, where its own deputy mayor compared it to the crime-hit New York borough.
But the gathering was swiftly interrupted by young hoodlums who barged into the small council building and resisted efforts to remove them until police arrived.
Town councillor Andrew Short, 56, has a car workshop and antiques store opposite the bus station waiting rooms.
Speaking in his capacity as a local business owner, he said: “We now have no public toilets as we’ve had to shut them because of needles being left there and vandalism. We only open them on Tuesdays for market day and if there’s a special event on.
“They hang around inside the bus station a lot because it’s heated and has free WiFi, although they’ve had to switch that off to try to deter them from going in there.
“Lots of people - especially elderly people or the disabled - don’t want to use the bus station, and I let them wait here, because they’ve been abused by these kids. One man tried to get rid of them and they threatened to stab him.
“They’ve ripped the doors off the bus station, there’s been drug dealing, bricks thrown through shop windows and they ride electric scooters through the market causing a danger to shoppers, and just all kinds of anti-social behaviour.
“People are scared to come into town after dark, but on the other hand, there’s nothing for these youngsters to do here, there’s no entertainment or youth club for them.
“The police take them back to their parents, but the parents don’t seem to do anything, and the same people are back out the next night hanging around and causing trouble.”
Iwan Thayer, 26, is the general manager of Snap Fitness, which is reached by steps on the opposite corner of the square.
It also has WiFi, which the gangs have discovered the password to, and often congregate on the steps outside.
He said: “There have always been gangs hanging around, but it’s progressively got worse. At the moment we’re in close contact with the police and they do a patrol every hour.
“In the daytime it’s fine but when it gets dark is when the problems happen. There’s usually 10-15 of them, a mix of boys and girls under 17 years old.
“Any time we see them we let the police know. Because we’re a 24-7 gym, members come in at night and the door slowly closes and locks again, but they’ve broken in a couple of times by catching the door before it’s closed.
“They’ve stolen things from the vanity station, little things like aerosol cans, they’ve threatened people and sprayed someone in the face when they tried to kick them out.
“The police are doing everything they can, we’re not as badly affected as some of the other businesses they’re messing with.
“It’s intimidating for members who have to walk past them to get in. The majority are probably harmless, but it’s intimidating knowing that one girl may be carrying a knife.”
The girl in question is believed to be from another town and is banned from Blackwood. The Sun was told she has been arrested nine times within a ten-day period.
When the police can catch them in criminal acts or anti-social behaviour, they are taken back to their parents, but locals fear the parents "don't seem to care", leaving the schoolkids free to continue wreaking havoc.
Another shop owner said: “I’ve been told one of the main troublemakers is a lad just under 18 who is from another town and Stagecoach have given him a bus pass. They should take his bus pass off him so he can’t come into Blackwood and cause trouble
“We had four outside last night banging on the door, but sometimes there will be 20 of them, from about 12 or 13 right up to 17-years-old.
“The other day they got hold of some blue paper rolls, and were heard saying ‘let’s start a fire’, so the police were called and said they’d log it, but didn’t come out.
“They set fire to all the bins in the square. They should be arrested and sent to juvenile prison for three months.
“I can’t go on the record because we’ll get a brick through the window, and we’ll have to pay for it.
“When I was at school there was the odd nutter like anywhere, but nothing like this. It’s crazy.
I don’t know why all this is occurring now. You’d have had a clout in my day
Stephen Miles
“There’s no deterrent. They get arrested and sent home and the next day they come back out and do it again.”
Blackwood, in the borough of Caerphilly in the county of Gwent, does have a thriving rugby club.
President Stephen Miles, 71, has been involved with the club for 50 years.
He said: “We only open on a Friday and Saturday, so I hear about all the trouble the youngsters are causing.
“We’ve had them climb on the roof and slide down, which I think is normal kids’ stuff.
“But the other day I passed Lilian Road, which is just above Market Square, and there was a bunch of kids playing up.
“There were about nine or ten police officers there trying to move them on and they were just abusing the police, saying ‘you can’t catch us’ and all that sort of nonsense.
“The last time we had trouble like this was with young lads driving up and down the high street, so I don’t know why all this is occurring now. You’d have had a clout in my day.
“They’ve also been abusing old people waiting at the bus stop – I don’t know what’s wrong with these kids.”
Major stores including Peacocks, Iceland, Boots and Asda in the town have also reported abuse towards their staff and anti-social behaviour by groups of youngsters in their stores.
One store worker, who also wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said: “We lock the door as soon as we see them hanging around outside and I don’t make any contact with them, I don’t even look at them.
“They just want a reaction and as soon as you react, they’ll start abusing you. They just want to wind people up because they’re bored and there’s nothing for them to do here.”
A local resident who didn’t want to be named said: “I come into Blackwood a lot and there are gangs hanging around, mainly around the ages of 14 or 15. You often see kids causing a nuisance at the bus station.
When I was at school there was the odd nutter like anywhere, but nothing like this. It’s crazy
“I saw the window and asked the newsagent they told me they’d refused to serve an underage girl alcohol and later she was back banging on the glass, and they wouldn’t let her in, so she threw a brick through the window.
“Any other country if behaved like that you’d go to prison, but that doesn’t happen in this country.
“Blackwood’s going downhill, I think we’re too soft on these people.”
Deputy mayor George Etheridge said last week: "Blackwood has become worse than the Bronx with anti-social behaviour. It is completely out of control.
"Blackwood bus station is a continual problem with e-scooters and bikes being ridden through the bus station and youngsters terrorising people.
"We have elderly people waiting for buses who have complained about not feeling safe and are intimidated. Bus drivers are abused and have things thrown at them and bus windows are targeted with stones.
“Bus station windows are being smashed and timetable holders defaced and destroyed. Graffiti covers the walls of the bus station.";
Gwent Police has announced a fresh joint-agency operation in Blackwood town centre, which has already led to a number of arrests connected to public disorder allegations.
They have also issued several dispersal orders, which prevent particular people from going to a specific area for a certain number of days.
Chief Inspector Stevie Warden of Gwent Police said: "Our officers continue to work with our community safety partnership to do all we can to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town.
"The bus station, for instance, is one of our known areas for anti-social behaviour and that is factored into our daily patrols and tailored Operation Lumley plans.
"We are aware of the recent reports of disorder over the last few weeks and councillors’ concerns, and we continue to work collaboratively with partner agencies to tackle this.
"Tackling the issue goes beyond just policing, we would ask parents, guardians and carers to consider do you know where your children are socialising, and do you know if they're involved in what is being reported to us?
"And we urge them to have conversations to help these young people understand that not only are these actions having negative impact on those around them, that any offences committed by them could negatively impact their futures - whether that's stopping them from getting their dream job, applying for a car loan or the chance to travel."
A spokesman for Blackwood Town Council said recent comparisons to the Bronx had "unfairly tarnished" the town's reputation.
They added: "While we acknowledge concerns about anti-social behaviour, particularly around Blackwood Station after dark, we are actively addressing these issues.
"On January 23, 2025, councillors met with police and agency partners to convey residents' concerns and to urge the full use of available powers against offenders.
"A comprehensive plan is now underway to tackle this behaviour, and we anticipate a real and sustained decline in incidents that cause distress in our community.
"We are deeply concerned about the Welsh Government's decision to cut funding for community support officers, as well as Caerphilly Council's plan to axe community safety wardens, both of which play crucial roles in maintaining our safety.
"Despite these challenges, the resilience and spirit of Blackwood's residents and independent businesses remain strong. Our town is vibrant, welcoming, and very much open for business."
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