RESIDENTS in a picturesque seaside town invaded by partygoers say they are too scared to leave their homes.
Disgruntled locals in Whitstable, Kent, say they feel "intimidated" by large groups of people "causing trouble" gathering on the beach.
Neighbours say the rowdy groups are mainly made up of teenagers and claim that more than 100 youngsters have congregated at a time.
On June 23 and July 7, cops issued dispersal orders over two weekends in an attempt to stop anti-social behaviour and harassment from large groups.
But one local, who has lived in Island Wall for the past eight years, claims this is not stopping the youths from meeting in the area.
Lucy, who did not want to give a surname, told KentOnline: “The dispersal orders are being put out over the weekend, but they seem to be congregating in the week.
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“On Wednesday, July 5, I was going down to the beach to look at the sunset and I saw at least 70 kids in the area.
“Almost all of them had a bottle of alcohol in their hand and it was incredibly loud and very intimidating.”
Lucy fears the situation could become “out of control” over the summer holidays and thinks it is “damaging the reputation" of the beautiful town.
The distressed resident added: “I live about 200 metres from the beach and I could hear them clearly from inside my house.
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“The kids seem to be gathering from all over the place and using Whitstable as a meeting point.
“It is scary living here and it makes me worried about going out at night on my own.
“It is very intimidating to meet a large group of kids and is very stressful to have this constant worry about this influx of people in the town causing trouble.”
She called the police and says after 20 minutes the noise seemed to disappear.
But another local – who lives just a three-minute walk away from the beach – claims the teens caused criminal damage on the same day.
The woman, called Jackie, said: “On this particular night, there were between 100 to 150 kids.
“They kicked off loads of wing mirrors down the street and jumped on several cars.
“This is not just high jinks now – it is criminal damage.
“It makes me feel sad that these kids go around thinking they can get away with this. The police are not doing enough to stop it.”
But Inspector Paul Stoner, of Canterbury Community Safety Unit, insists tackling anti-social behaviour is a focus for the force this summer.
“Following reports of large groups of young people causing criminal damage to toilets and vehicles after meeting up on beaches in June, police have put in place dispersal orders over recent weekends,” he said.
“These allow officers to disperse large groups and potentially arrest those who refuse to leave the area. Patrols in the town have since been engaging with groups on the seafront, encouraging them to consider the impact they might have on others.
“Tackling anti-social behaviour is one of the focuses of Kent Police's Safer Summer campaign and Canterbury district's Neighbourhood Task Force and Beat Team have been in coastal areas taking action where necessary.
“Anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour or has information that may be useful to us, to report it through the Kent Police website, or by calling 999 if a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger.”
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It comes after locals in another part of Kent have told how they are being pushed out by second homeowners.
Folkestone is becoming an increasingly popular destination for homebuyers and residents say it’s making the area impossible to live in.
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