Locals are living in fear with their village run by “killer kids” who rip apart pigeons for fun.
Residents in Blakenall, Walsall, say that now even buses and taxis won’t come to their area. The young people reportedly stab each other, ride around on mopeds and throw bricks.
Last July, a seven-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run by a 14-year-old boy on a Moped. A 13-year-old boy was left permanently blind after another teenager attacked him with a kitchen knife.
On one occasion, a live pigeon was reportedly torn apart in front of staff and customers outside a shop.
The “urban village” is home to just 15,000 people. Locals have said they fear leaving their homes owing to feral gangs of youths running the streets. They say no consequences exist for kids committing regular thefts and harassing shopkeepers.
A local man laughed when asked about the area, and insisted that “the people are great”. He added that it is only the “minority” who run riot – and that this results in car insurance prices in Blakenall being “ten times higher” compared to other areas.
Baljit Singh, who runs a mini market, told the Sun that things get worse in the summer holidays,
The 34-year-old said: “The kids make fun by throwing eggs at cars and shops but it is no fun for anyone else. I have had the windows of my car bricked in twice, they target my CCTV cameras.”
Another shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, added: “Since Covid, the situation has got a lot worse. There are big groups of kids, the older ones have motorbikes and they are very intimidating. When school finishes, they don’t go home, they just mess around. They have opened a youth club now and I hope it helps.”
Councillor Pete Smith has represented Blakenall on Walsall Council on and off for 35 years. He said: “We are a relatively deprived area and it has been awful for the people who live here, the vast majority of whom are good, decent folk who look after each other.
“I am hoping that the bad publicity focused minds and we are now seeing a concerted, joined-up effort from the Council’s community protection team, police, housing associations and youth services to work together.”
