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Residents are terrorized by a 21-strong gang of yobs in the picturesque spa town

Shocking footage shows residents being terrorized in their homes by a 21-strong gang of teenagers who have traveled to a picturesque spa town. The large group of ‘wild’ youths have been wreaking havoc across the sleepy Worcestershire town of Malvern Link for the past few months. Locals say they are being harassed by the group, estimated to be between 12-16 years old, who threaten people with knives and throw stones at houses. Others say they have caught them urinating in neighbours’ gardens, stealing and setting fire to people’s mailboxes. Parents have said they are too scared to let their children play after a boy was beaten up while elderly residents have been left “prisoners in their own homes”. A couple who live on Cedar Avenue, where house prices average around £320,000, caught the hooded youngsters on their doorbell camera last week. Footage shows the terrifying gang swarming onto the driveway before going out into the garden and stealing the son’s £1,000 bag and £300 bike from their cottage. Célia McCullough, 47, who lives with her partner Neil Topping, 49, said they rushed home after watching the theft unfold last Saturday (29/4). Mother-of-two Celia later uploaded the footage to social media in a bid to raise awareness and catch those responsible – but was told by police to remove it. She said: “We watched the group on the footage and we could count 21 people who were involved watching my camera and my neighbours.” It was scary to see them all at the end of our driveway. “They rushed into our garden and stole my son’s bag from our cottage. They also stole an expensive bicycle too. “We drove back home after we found out, but we were told by a neighbor that they had already left and had made his way to Malvern Link station. “We heard that they also threw stones at the homes and urinated on properties as well. “Since I uploaded it to social media I have been told countless other stories from people who have been terrorized by the same kids. One said they were too scared to let their children play after a boy was beaten up by them. They have threatened another with a knife. I’ve been told they set fire to things through someone’s mailbox. It’s just awful. This is a nice quiet area with many elderly residents. “This is not a big city where you can expect this, although it is unacceptable anywhere, we moved here because it was beautiful and quiet. “They must be stopped, but when I uploaded the footage I was told by the police to take it down because an investigation was ongoing. “But we haven’t seen them do anything to stop them. We understand they are coming from Worcester by train to target our little town on purpose. “Surely something can be done at both train stations to stop them coming here . They have been wreaking havoc for months and no one seems to want to act. “I want to make the people of Malvern Link aware of this because things are getting worse here. “We live on such a quiet road and things like this don’t usually happen. “We’ve had so many people on social media telling us about similar incidents involving this group. “They’re terrorizing people and people are scared. It has to stop.” Miss McCullough, who did not want to give her profession, said the young people’s attitudes to the police were “appalling”. She said: “We were on the phone with the police all the time at way to the station and they were amazing when they arrived. “The attitudes of these young people were appalling, even when the police were dealing with them. They don’t seem to care.” Another elderly resident, who did not want to be named, added: “We’ve been too scared to go out because these wild thugs have been running riot. “They just don’t seem to care about anything other than being set to cause problems. We have become prisoners in our own homes.” Residents say the group was the same group that had previously been banned from Malvern Link Station by police at the weekend. Eight officers issued five dispersal notices to some of the teenagers, meaning they could not visit the train station for up to 48 hours. A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: “Officers in Malvern have issued five dispersal notices for this weekend following reports of youths in the area of ​​Malvern Link on the evening of Saturday 29 April engaging in Anti-Social behaviour. “The dispersal order is imposed under section 34 of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. “Dispersal orders make it an offense for anyone to return to a specified area for up to 48 hours”.