Police under fire for litter picking on 'hell hole' Doncaster housing estate

Police have come under fire after spending the morning litter-picking on ‘hell-hole’ estate dubbed one of the worst in Doncaster.
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Officers from Doncaster West Neighbourhood Policing Team spent the morning cleaning up the streets of the ‘Royal’ estate in Edlington, which includes Prince’s Crescent which made the headlines recently after worried residents said the area was being wrecked by drugs gangs and thugs and vandals as young as nine.

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But the clean-up campaign has come in for criticism, with residents calling on South Yorkshire Police to tackle what they say are more pressing and serious issues.

Police have come under fire for litter picking on a hell-hole Doncaster estate.Police have come under fire for litter picking on a hell-hole Doncaster estate.
Police have come under fire for litter picking on a hell-hole Doncaster estate.

One said: “Why on earth are we paying police to collect litter. Really? Get the cons to do it.”

Another wrote: “Surely the police could spend their time doing the job that's needed – fighting crime.

“A good cause and a nice result but not a job for the police. Picking litter should be for the council or community service.”

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Another added: “All for partnership working in the community for the greater impact and good but the officers shouldn’t be litter picking.”

"Police officers collecting rubbish! Whatever next – postmen emptying dustbins?,” posted another while another added: “Police cleaning up rubbish! Is this a joke or what?

However, there was praise for the clean-up, with one poster commenting: “Can’t do right for doing wrong obviously. Well done for helping to clean up.”

The litter pick comes after a video emerged of a gang of young yobs smashing windows at a house in Prince’s Crescent.

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Footage shows a group of teenagers hurling objects at a property, while one repeatedly punches holes in a glass door with a metal pole.

A recent nationwide report saw local residents describing Prince’s Crescent as a ‘hell hole’ and ‘no-go’ area with worried residents saying the area was controlled by drugs gangs and that a number of properties had been torched as part of reprisals.

Neighbours also said youngsters as young as nine were bringing terror to the area with anti-social behaviour.