CHILDREN as young as five are hanging around on the streets of Stonehouse at midnight, it has been claimed.

Speaking at a heated police and community consultative meeting in the town last week, Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Helen Backus said anti-social behaviour in Arrowsmith Drive was intolerable.

"I can't tell you what it's like living in our drive," said Mrs Backus, who lives in the street.

"It's got to the point where we've got five-year-olds out at midnight."

"I've no faith in the local police service whatsoever. We need to have more visible policing on the streets.

"The children need somewhere to go and something to do."

Concerned residents at last Tuesday's meeting called for urgent police action to stop louts making their lives a misery.

One of the main problems blighting their lives is teenagers tearing along the street on motorbikes.

Noise from 'shrieking' youngsters is also a nuisance.

One parent described how he asked a group of youths to keep the noise down, only to be met with a torrent of foul language.

"They just told me I shouldn't have bought the house in the first place," he said.

Another resident, whose house backs onto Maidenhill School, where the meeting was held, said CTTV cameras had helped.

"Since the school put CCTV cameras on the road our life has been so much better, but they've just moved further along the street," she said.

Chief Supt John Henry, the Divisional Commander for Stroud and the Cotswolds, attended the meeting, and reassured residents that the force was committed to tackling yobbish behaviour.

He said: "The division is committed to doing something about this and I would be really disappointed if in six months time we are still talking about these same issues."

Despite the problems, police say crime in Stonehouse is falling. The meeting heard crime over the last three months is down by 14 per cent on the same period last year, burglary offences are down by 43 per cent and criminal damage by 20 per cent.