Oundle residents demand action on 'X4' teens who shoplift, litter, set fires and vandalise locks
Oundle residents are demanding action following an influx of out-of-town teens who travel to the area to swim in the River Nene – but have left litter, set fires and vandalised locks.
Members of the public met with Northants Police at a weekly surgery on Friday (August 14) at the Co-op to highlight concerns of anti-social behaviour in the town centre, local shops and in fields near Ashton Lock.
During the long hot summer, residents say increasing numbers of teenagers have been using the Northampton to Peterborough X4 bus to reach Oundle – a free service for children aged five to 15 during August.
But as well as enjoying the countryside, residents say the youngsters are leaving litter, setting fires and shoplifting in the town.
Kevin Simons said: “They are coming in on the X4 from the Corby direction. They are coming on electric bikes. They come in cars.
"They nick from the shops. They need to know that the police know, and if they step out of line, there will be action taken.”
The X4 bus picks up passengers in Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby before heading to Peterborough.
Another resident has been picking up the litter left on river bank – collecting six bin bags full in one day – to prevent it from being blown into the river or hurting wildlife.
Northants Fire and Rescue Service was called on Thursday (August 13) to reports of an area of the embankment on the A605, in Oundle on fire. Firefighters used wildfire backpacks and beaters to extinguish the fire, before damping down hotspots. The fire was believed to have been started by discarded smoking materials.
Helen said: “We are really concerned. We walk our dog along the river, there’s litter being left everywhere. We love the countryside and we think fires are being set deliberately.
"We see them coming in from somewhere in the Corby direction and then they leave on the bus. I’ve seen groups of teenagers 10 to 15 at a time getting off the bus.”
Litter picking resident Matt concurs. He said: “I went down to the river a couple of weeks ago and picked up six bin bags of rubbish.
"It’s the parents – the young people need some sort of supervision. It’s great to enjoy nature, but don’t destroy it.”
On the sunny day the Northants Telegraph visited, a group of young people had gathered outside before walking down to the river.
They had travelled from Irthlingborough, Finedon and Burton Latimer to enjoy the countryside – and clean river swimming.
Leon Coleman from Irthlingborough and Harvey McBride from Burton Latimer, who are both 18, said: “We come here because it’s such a nice small town.
"There’s not many places you can go where there is clean water – we’ve looked at the sewage maps.
"We don’t see people leave litter, we buy our food at the Co-op, eat it here and take away our litter. It may be younger people.”
Residents have been encouraged to carry on reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour to Northants Police via 101 and online.
Kevin added: “There’s got to be some police intervention. The young people need to know there will be implications. It’s becoming dangerous, repetitive and uncontrolled. I don’t mind kids coming and swimming in the river but not those who vandalise the locks. They are out of control.”
East Northants Neighbourhood Policing Team held a beat surgery in the town on Friday (August 14) after being made aware of social media posts on community pages regarding crime and anti-social behaviour in the Oundle area.
East Northants Policing Team officer, PC Declan Morgan: said: “We understand that this type of behaviour is having a negative impact on residents and local businesses. However, unless people report incidents to us, we cannot build a true picture of the extent of the problem.
“Community intelligence is key to helping us tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and we would therefore encourage residents and businesses to report it to us so we can act against those making others’ lives a misery.
“Anyone with information about crime or anti-social behaviour in their area is encouraged to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or make a report online at www.northants.police.uk. Always call 999 in an emergency.”
Ashton Lock has been one of the worst-hit locations with vandals damaging its winding wheel, forcing it to be removed for repairs, before a temporary replacement was stolen.
The lock's guillotine gate was subsequently tampered with, draining water needed for wildlife and navigation.
In another incident, a life buoy and rope were taken from a safety station, with the rope used to tie open the lock doors before the guillotine gate was wound up, draining water upstream.
Ben Thornley, area manager for the Environment Agency, said: “We are disgusted with the level of vandalism we are experiencing at our vital water control structures.
“This puts lives in danger and has big implications for wildlife and navigation during drought.”
Anyone witnessing vandalism or anti-social behaviour is urged to report it to police and the Environment Agency.