'Dramatic rise' in anti-social behaviour at Butts Farm

The CCTV camera in Saxon Avenue was removed for repairs after being damaged earlier this year and was reinstalled two weeks ago but fearful residents say the troublemakers - some of whom are as young as eight - have become used to having their own way.

A mother-of-four, who lives in Norman House in Saxon Avenue but did not want to be named through fears of reprisals, said the area had become a 'no-go' after dark.

She added: "Ever since they broke that camera it's been back to the old days. There's just no respect and you've got no idea how far they'll go.

"It's so intimidating and, even though the camera's back up and the police seem to be around a little bit more, these kids are running around like they own the place."

A man in his 80s added: "It's unbelievable how young some of these nuisances are. When I was their age I was still in short trousers but they are standing around there drinking, smoking and doing drugs. It's not right."

Police safer neighbourhood teams (SNTs) have increased patrols on the estate, used plain clothes officers, conducted stop and searches and drawn up Acceptable Behaviour Contracts with the worst offenders, while Hounslow Youth Services will also be starting regular patrols within the next two weeks.

A spokesman for Richmond Housing Partnership(RHP), which manages the estate, said: "RHP is continuing to work very closely with the SNTs and Hounslow Youth Services.

"We will continue to work closely with our residents and partners to provide a safe environment for all our residents. Our customer liaision officer is the first point of contacts for our residents to report any issues and we have a specialist anti-social behaviour team to deal with serious incidents."