'People are frightened:' Woman lifts lid on terror of crime-ridden Doncaster suburb

A terrified woman living in a crime hit Doncaster suburb has lifted the lid on the extent of problems in the area, saying: “people are frightened.”
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Susan Potter, who lives in Hexthorpe, says in recent weeks she has witnessed a string of crimes and anti-social behaviour in the area and added: “This is all normal now for Hexthorpe.”

She says the area is plagued by youths on on off-road motorbikes, speeding cars, noise, vandalism, violence and drugs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And it comes just a day after residents in Wheatley called on Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Police for help due to rising crime in that part of town.

Hexthorpe is plagued by crime, says one frightened resident.Hexthorpe is plagued by crime, says one frightened resident.
Hexthorpe is plagued by crime, says one frightened resident.

She said: “People are frightened to go to certain places in the day and too scared to go out at night.

"Hexthorpe is getting worse and lives are being ruined and the police and the council aren’t bothered.”

She said that at Christmas, numerous fights broke out in the suburb during Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day, youths in the area were setting off fireworks, something she says is a regular occurrence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: “I phoned 999 but was told 'don’t phone the police’ by someone who was watching the fighting.

"It was intimidating but I phoned them anyway

"I have tried and tried for several years to get more CCTV up and speed cameras, but nothing has happened.

“I have reported crime for about three years - there is no respect, no working together with the public and the police. What more can you do but keep reporting it to the police who sometimes ignore it?

Mrs Potter says other problems include sex assaults, cars driving on the wrong side of the road, vehicles being broken into, bus stops being vandalised and on one occasion she says she was threatened by having her windows smashed with a golf club and her house set on fire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She is urging people to report incidents in the area, no matter how small, to police to keep up the pressure.

Anyone wanting to report crime or anti-social behaviour in Doncaster can contact South Yorkshire Police on 101 or in an emergency, 999.

We have contacted South Yorkshire Police and Doncaster Council for comment.