'We live in a dangerous UK seaside village – leaving the house is terrifying'

07 August 2023 , 08:13

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The fed up residents claim they have to be home before dinner time to avoid the yobs (Image: Shutterstock / Oscar Johns)

Fed up residents in a sleepy seaside village claim they have to be home before dinner time, or they face gangs of alcohol-fuelled yobs causing trouble on its streets.

Ingoldmells, in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, suffers from a lack of local policing, with the nearest station located three miles down the road in Skegness. As a result, terrified locals say it has fallen into the hands of criminals, with cuts to local policing meaning they have been left to fend for themselves. The issue means many people rush home before 6pm, to avoid binge-drinking yobs who head out onto the streets.

Resident Gary Renolds, 68, told the Sun: “The police have their work cut out dealing with the idiots coming here for holidays who end up drunk and fighting. I do not go out in the evening. We like to be home by 6 or 7 o’clock before the troublemakers come out. We see police cars going up and down all the time dealing with problems everywhere. These yobs are paying £2.20 a pints so they are sitting in the bar getting blitzed all day..then they come out to cause trouble."

The residents fear there is worse to come, with reports suggesting local police plan to reduce the number of Police and Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

Ingoldmells is home to just 2,059 people and has a selection of holiday parks on the Lincolnshire coast. Fantasy Island, Hardy's Animal Farm and The Odyssey are among the most popular local attractions, bringing in millions of pounds a year altogether.

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The local visitor economy is valued at between £438million and £733million, but full-time residents have reported issues with crime and antisocial behaviour.

Elaine Stevenson, 66, said crime also follows people home, with her daughter having returned home once to find her son-in-law "fighting with a burglar".

Locals have claimed Lincolnshire Police plan to "drastically reduce" the number of present Police and Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and replace them with full-time policemen. John Evans, 70, a member of local crime prevention organisation Caravan Park Watch, said he would "like to know which apple tree they are going to pluck these offices".

Lincolnshire Police has been approached for comment.

Antony Clements-Thrower