Hooligan problems in Northwood Hills cul de sac

A WOMAN has criticised the police for failing to stop hooligans hanging around in a car park after she was woken by a raging inferno just feet from her home.

Amanda Turburville, 27, of Columbus Gardens, Northwood Hills, was woken by her smoke alarm at about 3.30am on Sunday (22) - just an hour after arriving home from a night out celebrating her birthday.

An abandoned car had been set alight in the car park next to her house which had then rolled backwards and set another car alight, as well as completely destroying her garden fence and decking.

She said: "The fire was started intentionally and if the fire brigade hadn't got there when they did it would have smashed through my kitchen window and proceeded to burn my house down whilst we were sleeping.

"The smoke was so thick; it somehow penetrated the house and caused our smoke alarms to sound, even though we had no windows open. Luckily for us, although the car did explode, we don't think the car had a full tank, otherwise the consequences could have been a lot worse.

"This little car park is well known to have groups of hoodies hanging around smoking dope, playing football, drinking, swearing until late at night and throwing beer cans all over the place, especially in the summer.

"After five years of putting up with this and after a few phone calls to the police - which aroused no reaction on any occasion - it has followed on to a serious incident like this.

"The police did not attend this incident either. They turned up at my door at 7.30am to take some details and that was it.

"Upon inspection of the damage, after the police left on Sunday morning, I found a knife quite blatantly sitting there on a wall right next to where the car was originally set ablaze.

"However, upon reporting this find to the police, I was told to either dispose of the knife, or to take it to the local police station myself.

"We moved to the area nearly 20 years ago and it was such a lovely place to live, however in the last five to 10 years it has got so rough.

"These youths do not live down my road so there's no reason why they should congregate there.

"I just want the police to now sit up and take notice of this ongoing problem. I hope they are not waiting for there to be dead bodies in the equation before they take action."