Residents on new housing estate plagued by wave of crime and anti-social behaviour

Burglaries and car break-ins have hit Hamilton Square in Atherton since January and anti-social behaviour is on the rise.

Two residents meetings have taken place so far with MP Chris Green and police attending the last event.

Helen Keen, 56, moved into her house on Threadneedle Close with her husband Andy in May 2018.

She said: “When we first drove into the estate and saw the surroundings we thought it was idyllic and that our grandchildren could come round and play football on the green – it would be wonderful.

“A Facebook group was set up in January and that’s when all the crime started coming to light and there were a spate of car break-ins, including mine.

“Andy and I love our home but we do not feel safe.”

The green has also been the target of anti-social behaviour.

Lisa Mistry and Craig Bailey moved into Spinningfield Close at the development in June 2018.

Mum-of-one Lisa, 27, said: “This is our first house and we want it to be our ‘forever home’.

“I do not feel safe there at the moment. There are alarms going off all the time.

“I take my little boy out for walks and I’ve seen packets of drugs and cider cans on the paths and fences have been kicked in.”

Building materials left at the side of the green

An unkempt area of grass at the site

An area of road on the development

At the edge of a fence 

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Homebuilder Countryside has been criticised by residents.

They say they were told “there was one way in and one way out” of the site but there was no mention of a path cutting through the site, which is close to the town’s probation service office.

Questionnaires were filled in by 39 households with many people stating they were unaware of the path.

There are building materials left near the side of the green as well.

A Countryside spokesman said: “We are sympathetic to the anti-social behaviour being experienced by residents and we hope that this issue is resolved quickly by the appropriate authorities.

“All vehicle and pedestrian routes are shown on external planning drawings which are fully accessible to buyers at the time of reservation.

“It is our responsibility to ensure roads and pathways are completed to a safe and adoptable standard.

"Having visited the development to carry out an extensive inspection, we are aware of a number of outstanding issues to this regard and we can confirm that work to rectify these issues is due to commence imminently.”