We live in fear in a crime-riddled housing estate – men with baseball bats attack our homes
TERRIFIED locals have spoken of their fear at living on a crime-riddled housing estate after being attacked by baseball bat thugs.
Beech Hill housing estate in Wigan has found itself at the centre of a string of violent crimes recently.
Four men burst into a house and attacked residents with baseball bats shortly after a street fight last Saturday.
The mass brawl was just the start of the crime spree, with a gun dropped in the street the following day.
Residents have now spoken of a culture of fear among those living on the housing estate in the wake of the attacks.
One woman told The Sun Online she was assaulted just a few weeks ago and is waiting to speak to police about the matter.
Meanwhile, a man living on Rose Avenue said: “I saw the police sent a Tactical Aid Unit van to the scene.
“That tells me everything I need to know about what is going on.”
Andrea and Paul Cooper have lived on Rose Avenue for two years – saying their peace and quiet was ruined by loud bikes.
Andrea said: “They roar up and down with no helmets on. They go really fast and are so noisy. That is our main concern.”
And another local said: “I heard the men who went in the house all had baseball bats. Scary.”
Genevra Sweetland lives on Wellfield Road, yards from the scene of the mass brawl.
She said: “I didn’t hear a thing the other night. My husband and I have been very happy here.
“Our neighbours are fine and its nice and quiet . We love the pizza shop down the road and there is a supermarket nearby. “
Greater Manchester Police have described a “large -scale fight” Wellfield Road in April.
At around 1.30am police described an “aggravated burglary” when four men went into a house on Laburnum Grove and assaulted residents with bats two weeks ago.
A number of arrests have taken place of men and women aged between 22 and 48.
Detective Sergeant Paul Sumner of GMP’s Wigan Criminal Investigation Department said: “We’ve made some good progress in our initial enquires since receiving these reports and responding to the three incidents that will of course cause some concern in the community.
“I want to reassure residents though we are treating this investigation extremely seriously and will continue to act in a swift and robust manner.
“We are now in a position to appeal to the public to help us identify the suspect still outstanding we believe is also involved in these incidents that ran away, along with any other detail on any of the incidents mentioned.
“Any information from the public, however small or insignificant you think it may be will still help us piece together the circumstances of these connected three incidents and help ensure we can keep our local community safe.
“This could be eyewitness accounts, doorbell footage or something you saw or heard overnight and in the early hours that felt out of the ordinary.
“As a result, extra patrol plans are in place to provide a more visible presence whilst our enquiries continue.”
A spokesperson for Wigan Council encouraged residents with concerns to speak to GMP.
“You can do this by calling 0161 856 7094 or 101 quoting log numbers 130, 285 and, or 937 of the 23/04/23. Alternatively, details can be passed on anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”