GANGS of youths are running riot in Atherton – and residents have been urged to report them to the police.

Three neighbourhood police officers attended an Atherton Residents Association on Tuesday night to discuss anti-social behaviour in the area and what could be done to tackle it.

They spoke at the meeting at the Atherton Arms in Tyldesley Road after residents told of youths drinking alcohol and smashing bus shelters.

Liz Sanderson, neighbourhood inspector for Atherton, Leigh and Hindley said: “The issues we have seen recently are incidents with gangs. However anti-social behaviour is not just a policing responsibility. We have been asked can we be more pro-active but as you know we are under-going cuts and it looks like we are going to be cut by another 40 per cent.”

Ms Sanderson added that despite the cuts the police were “trying their best” to make Atherton and Atherleigh a safer place and were being as pro active as possible.

She added: “A lot of incidents don’t get reported and we can’t do anything about it if someone doesn’t report it.

“We rely on reports by members of the public.”

Atherleigh Labour Councillor Pamela Stewart said the council has funding and resources to help areas identified as “hot spots” for crime, but said residents needed to continue to report incidents to get the support.

Residents also brought to the attention of police a problem with bus shelters being smashed to which Ms Sanderson said alternative structures were being looked into.

She added: “If you have got young children or relatives the message I would say is, do you know where your children are of a night time? We have had incidents of youngsters drinking alcohol and carrying weapons and it poses the question as to what their parents are doing? ”

Following reports of anti-social behaviour in Atherton last month Ms Sanderson revealed that two youths had been given criminal behaviour orders and injunctions to not return to the area.

But she said despite the issues, anti-social behaviour in the area was down from November last year to November this year by nine per cent.