RESIDENTS of a Boscombe road are celebrating gating off an alleyway which was a haven for drug dealers.

Back in November the residents of Windsor Road called for help to block off the alley, which was littered with used needles, used as a toilet by some visitors, and even as an escape route by shoplifters.

After reading about their appeal in the Daily Echo, Steve Wells, managing director of DWP Housing Partnership which owns homes further up the road, got in touch and offered to fund and install a new gate.

Neighbour Brian O’Connor, who has lived in Windsor Road for 30 years, said locals were delighted with the gate.

“This is the quietest this road has ever been, and there’s no more dog muck down the alley, or the drug dealing or people breaking into my house,” he said.

Julie Squire, from the local residents’ association, added: “The people living either side aren’t subject to all the depraved things that were going on there any more.

“With the help of the council, the police and people like Steve Wells we are really improving this street.”

Mr Wells, who arranged for the gate to be constructed by a Winton ironwork firm, said: “We have two properties down here in Windsor Road so we have a connection, and when I read about the problems they were having down here I wanted to get involved. Having that alleyway there without a gate was asking for trouble.”

Cllr Chris Wakefield said: “This is all thanks to the residents, as without their input we wouldn’t have known this had to be done.

“The properties either side have two different landlords so it has been tricky to arrange, and we are very grateful to Dave Wells Properties for coming forward.

“We are trying to stabilise the population here by making it a nicer place to live, as then a community will develop who will have the incentive to keep it nice.”

Latest improvements

THE gate is just the latest improvement to Windsor Road arranged by residents working with local councillors Jane Kelly and Chris Wakefield.

Clusters of smelly, overflowing wheelie bins have been replaced by fewer large communal bins in marked-off areas of the road, reducing littering and increasing space, while the street lighting has been made brighter and a CCTV camera installed.

Julie Squire said: “Since we founded our group a year ago we have gone from police visiting the road about three times a day to having one incident of crime since March.
“It doesn’t cost any money to have a group like this, and we’ve seen a lot of improvements thanks to our councillors.

Cllr Kelly said: “We hope all the work here will be an example of what can be achieved.”