Locals in a sleepy village besieged by ‘feral’ children who have threatened to attack business owners with acid and plastic knives and poured water over customers say the mayhem has spread to another parade of shops.
Hoo in Medway, Kent, has seen a recent surge in anti-social behaviour – with fed-up shopkeepers this week opening up to MailOnline about how it is plaguing their businesses.
One newsagents claimed it receives daily threats of violence from the yobs – with the anger exploding when staff ask to see their IDs when they try to buy cigarettes and vapes.
The mayhem has left pensioners too terrified to venture out at night, with some fearing they will be jumped by the school-aged delinquents when the sun goes down.
Now MailOnline can reveal how gangs of youths are also running amok at another parade of shops just half a mile away.
They have been accused of stealing from convenience stores and fighting in the streets late at night.
And three months ago one particularly violent incident reportedly saw a teenager slashed in the face with a pair of scissors.
Police were called to the Premier Express store on the Knights Road parade of shops at about 11.30pm on Monday, February 3.
‘Unruly yobs’ are seen acting anti-socially outside a village shop in Medway, Kent in CCTV footage
MailOnline can reveal how gangs of youths are also running amok at another parade of shops just half a mile away (pictured)
Pictured: A general view of Hoo High Street which has seen problems with anti-social behaviour
The boy was taken to hospital with facial injuries but was discharged a short while later.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and an investigation is continuing.
The parade of shops has two convenience stores, a hairdressers, a pharmacy, funeral parlour, a Chinese takeaway and a kebab shop.
A mother of two, who lives nearby and only gave her name as ‘Jan’ for fear of being targeted by the yobs said: ‘There are issues all the time with youngsters running amok.
‘Some of them are only 14 years old yet they can be out in the streets until nearly midnight.
‘They are a pain in the a*** a lot of the time, shouting, swearing, stealing from the corner shop and riding their bikes dangerously in the road.
‘Three months ago, though, there was a serious incident outside the Premier store in which one of the youngsters was slashed by a pair of scissors.
Yobs have been accused of stealing from convenience stores and fighting in the streets late at night. Pictured are some children accused of acting anti-socially
Julie Evans, 65, (pictured) who runs the Five Bells pub in the centre of the beleaguered village, said: ‘They’re kids at the end of the day, that’s all they are’
Pictured: A convenience store on Hoo High Street where locals have complained of ‘feral’ youths running amok
Susan Chell, 78, said: ‘I definitely don’t go out at night anymore, I don’t open my door to anyone once the sun has gone down’
It comes as owners of a sleepy village shop besieged by ‘feral’ children who have threatened to spray them with acid and bomb their store have said a police clampdown is finally starting to work.
The family-run business, which has been operating for nearly 20 years, says it has seen a surge in anti-social behaviour in recent months, which has only got worse.
One of the owners said: ‘There was an incident about a year ago where one of them sprayed me with liquid – it turned out to be water but they said it was acid, and you never know what they have in those bottles.
‘People have definitely got more aggressive, I notice it most when I ask them for ID.
‘If they come in and try to buy cigarettes or vapes or whatever, obviously I have to check them, but they get angry, mouthing off.
‘They have said racist insults to us, threatened to bomb the place, burn it down, smash the windows in, told us they’re going to come get us after work.
‘Everyone working here has experienced something like that at least once.’
The unruly rabble – some whom appear to be in their tweens – have been seen heckling workers while others hurl water at staff from outside.
Others have reportedly acted in a more sinister way, with workers saying one youth threatened someone with a plastic knife, sparking fears a real blade could soon be used if the groups are not quickly deterred.
The shopkeepers, who wished to remain anonymous, previously accused Kent Police of not doing enough to tackle the problem plaguing the streets of Hoo.
The mayhem has left pensioners too terrified to venture at night, with some fearing they will be jumped by the school-aged delinquents when the sun goes down (general view)
Pictured: Julie Evans, 65, who runs the Five Bells pub in the centre of the beleaguered village
Staff at the shop in Hoo claim they receive daily verbal abuse from the yobs and say they have had display stands thrown at them as the initial threats of violence grows more real (Pictured: A view of Hoo’s high street)
However, now they have said that police have stepped up patrols – and the heightened presences of officers was having an effect.
The shopkeeper added: ‘We only let two kids in at a time, and if it’s a troublesome kid we just let one in.
‘We try to never have less than two staff members here at a time.
‘It’s us and the Spar, then there’s a parade of shops up the road who are always having problems but they never report it.
‘We tell them all the time, you need to report it so the incidents are logged, but they don’t listen.
‘It was pretty bad over Easter, and I imagine it will be again during the summer holidays, but we have had a local police officer around which may have helped a bit, we haven’t seen them for a couple weeks.
The other owner added: ‘This is a small community, so we will usually try and go to the parents directly if we know their kid has been in here and caused problems.
‘Some parents are okay, some are like ‘not my problem’.
‘We got in touch with all the local schools, sent them videos of what happened, and they pretty much all got back to us straight away.
A family-run business, which has been operating for nearly 20 years in the village, has faced a surge in anti-social behaviour in recent months. Pictured are some children accused of acting anti-socially
Pictured: A general view of Hoo High Street that has been affected by anti-social behaviour
Julie Evans is seen outside of her pub the Five Bells in Hoo
‘It’s just worrying because we have older customers who now won’t come out during the school holidays anymore because they’re scared something is going to happen.
‘They’ll just restrict themselves to when the kids are in school, which is no life.’
Last year, CCTV footage from the store captured a disgruntled customer who was allegedly refused service after previously throwing bags of sweets and display stands at the owner before fleeing.
‘Another time, someone was caught stealing multiple times from this shop,’ the owners added.
‘One day he tried to come in, and we saw him before he came to the door so we pushed him out. He rang the police and said we assaulted him, and officers actually came out.’
Keith Ferguson, 51, a local barber, has had some dealings with the troublesome yobs.
He said: ‘The main thing I had with them was six months ago, they came and banged on this big window.
‘I went out there and told them to stop because it was stupid, if that had broken and someone had been killed it would be such a stupid way to go to prison.
‘Then after that they found it like a game, so they kept coming and tapping, and I basically had to say to help ‘look, stop or I will actually have to call the police’ and they did stop.
Pictured is a group of youths who were seen on CCTV acting antisocially
A general view of Hoo High Street which locals say is being terrorised by feral youths
Picture shows a pair of shops in the sleepy village of Hoo which has been affected by the behaviour
‘A camera was put in about two years ago and that does stop kids congregating in big groups here – but I think they just go to the park instead.’
When asked if they had ever faced any issues with groups of teenagers at the store Keith mentioned, the owner said they never have problems with them.
But, a local pensioner, Susan Chell, 78, said: ‘I definitely don’t go out at night anymore, I don’t open my door to anyone once the sun has gone down.
‘It’s got worse over the years, it never used to be like that. I think it’s all this housing they’re building – lots of people coming down from London.’
Elizabeth Reed, 70, who works in a flower shop, said: ‘The kids mainly seem to behave but when they’re on their scooters there could be two or three on one, doing wheelies – someone is going to get killed.
‘We tried to report it and the police said they’d do extra patrols, but we’ve never seen them.’
Another member of the public, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said: ‘When my husband was alive he was always worried about the big groups.
Following the most recent incident on April 12, the force says officers attended and enquiries were completed, including speaking to witnesses
Independent Councillor Ron Sands, 72, told MailOnline that the lack of policing in the area meant the yobs would continue to ‘push the boundaries’
‘I haven’t seen anything myself but they do come here to sit at the park, and I have heard about bad behaviour.’
But, there are some members of the community attempting to give local kids something better to do with their time.
Julie Evans, 65, who runs the Five Bells pub in the centre of the beleaguered village, said: ‘They’re kids at the end of the day, that’s all they are.
‘There are bad apples in every generation. But it doesn’t help that they don’t have anything to do.
‘I see them hanging out on the grass, but they never cause any damage and I think sometimes it’s been blown out of proportion.
‘But, I do think they need something better to do with their time, so I started a darts club for them.
‘We have a couple of age groups and honestly, you should see them, they all think they’re the next Luke Littler – and some of them are.
‘One of the nine-year-olds who comes down is unbeatable, he’s so good.
‘I even have adults who play in the grown up darts competition on Thursdays come and teach them.
‘It’s £2, we give them free juice and it keeps them busy – and honestly, if they keep it up, they could be the next Luke Littler.
A spokesman for Kent Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour involving young people at the business and that an investigation is underway (Pictured: Hoo High Street)
‘I think instead of complaining about the kids hanging around you have to give them something to do that’s productive.’
Independent Councillor Ron Sands, 72, previously told MailOnline the lack of policing in the area meant the yobs would continue to ‘push the boundaries’.
He said: ‘The majority of the children in the village are really good kids and quite polite. They just get on with being children.
‘I’m not 100 per cent sure if this group are actually from our village or a neighbouring one, but they have come in and are trying to make some statement. They think they are untouchable at this moment in time.’
Mr Sands, who has lived in Hoo his entire life, says he has pushed for police to increase their presence in the area, otherwise he fears people ‘may take it into their own hands’.
A spokesman for Spar UK told MailOnline: ‘We take the safety of our team members and shoppers very seriously and are aware of a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour that have been reported at our store in Hoo, Kent.
‘We have been working with the local authorities to report these issues and ensure we are able to provide a safe and welcoming environment to serve the local community.’
A spokesman for Kent Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour involving young people at the business and that an investigation is underway.
Following the most recent incident on April 12, the force says officers attended and enquiries were completed, including speaking to witnesses.
They also reviewed CCTV after a group of children entered the store and allegedly threw liquid from a plastic bottle.
The spokesman added: ‘Officers are liaising with the owner of the premises and work is ongoing, including with schools, to help identify those responsible so that they and their families can be spoken to and a proportionate resolution reached.’
A SPAR UK spokesperson said: ‘At SPAR UK we take the safety of our team members and shoppers very seriously and are aware of a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour that have been reported at our store in Hoo, Kent.
‘We have been working with the local authorities to report these issues and ensure we are able to provide a safe and welcoming environment to serve the local community.’
