RESIDENTS of Roman Way had to endure a vicious, 20-minute street battle last Thursday, as alleged drug addicts ran amok, wielding baseball bats and a pick axe handle. A mass brawl erupted at around 8 pm, involving approximately 10 people, which was witnessed by petrified and impressionable children. A gang of residents and non-residents had congregated toward the southern end of Roman Way, with drink-fuelled banter escalating into violence. Reports vary as to the cause of the fracas, between something "trivial and minor", and a demand for drug money. Subsequently, an array of weaponry appeared from parked cars nearby, and the thugs continued to wander up and down the street over a 20-minute period. Allegedly, a resident overheard the phrase: "let's get out the shooter to settle this," while calling the police. Fear forced adult members of the community to stay in their homes, and after several calls to the police, a solitary female officer arrived 32 minutes later. By this time, the fracas had dissipated, with culprits returning to their residences, while other perpetrators had left the scene. According to Surrey Police, duty officer Inspector Paul Pearson responded to residents' calls and arrived at the scene within minutes. In posession of details of a car, he subsequently pursued the vehicle away from the area. A Surrey Police spokesman confirmed that a female officer attended the scene, before other officers - but that "they didn't catch up with any of them". Such is the climate of fear currently felt on Roman Way that people were not prepared to put their name to a quote, for fear of reprisals. "It's a bloody disgrace," said one irate resident. "It was like walking into a war zone - there were half a dozen men shouting their heads off. "Then it got very ugly. One bloke was holding a piece of wood, and another had blood on his face. There were women and men involved, and they were all effing and blinding. "There are houses round here with kids in, and old and vulnerable people live in Hadrians. It destroys a man's karma seeing something like this. It's a nice peaceful place down here - it's a lovely place to live and we don't want it spoiled by muppets," he added. "I heard this shouting and went outside and saw people waving baseball bats about. A girl ran up and smacked someone with one and there was a black bloke on the floor being hit with another - it was unbelievable. Then it carried on down the road," said another. The problem has escalated over the past few years, with locals forced to endure increasingly noisy and expletive-ridden gatherings in the street, coupled with a range of anti-social behaviour. Last year a child picked up a discarded hypodermic needle, before accidentally stabbing another child in the arm. And residents are at the end of their tether. "We've moaned and moaned about the drugs - they are all skagheads. We've had numerous meetings with councillors, but it's been going on for donkeys' years and nothing's been done. I've got to the stage where I can't be bothered to have any more meetings - nothing happens," said one. "It is getting very intimidating to go out," said another. "It used to be beautiful down here, but the good people are having to bear the brunt of the damage these people cause. Every day they congregate in the street and the language they use is unbelievable. Sometimes the noise goes on until the early hours of the morning. It's like living in a nightmare - it's a living hell." "This has been going on for 18 months and people on the estate are being let down by Waverley Borough Council," said a concerned resident. "They've had meetings down here about the drugs and they've not done anything about it. We've had meetings at Hadrians - the county council was there with the police about the stuff that's been going on in the flats at the bottom. "I think it's a disgrace that they should house these people in a really nice estate - all the poor people who have bought their flats are being let down by the council. "It's not fair because this estate has gone from a council estate to a private estate where young couples are frightened to let their children out. "They encourage us to buy our houses, so we bought them and we try to maintain them and what do they do? They put known drug addicts next to young people. Can that be right in a place like Farnham?" In a press statement, WBC spoke of its "concern about the impact that certain individuals are having on the community in Roman Way". "We are working with the police and other statutory agencies to deal robustly with the anti-social behaviour, which occurred last week. "Officers are investigating all the reported incidences of nuisance and rowdy behaviour, which are causing distress to other residents – both tenants and owner-occupiers. "The council has a clear anti-social behaviour policy and procedures for dealing with such situations. Ultimately, tenants in breach of their tenancy agreement risk losing their home. In response to the relocation of known drug users next to young families, the statement said: "The council cannot be responsible for how people chose to live their lives, unless this is causing alarm, distress and harassment to others in the locality of their home. Waverley staff are conducting their enquiries and co-operating fully with the police in order to bring about a satisfactory resolution for all concerned." Sergeant Paddy Mayers of Surrey Police commented: "We have been speaking to those who witnessed the incident last week, as well as other members of the community, to try to get a grip on the situation and work out a way forward. "As well as reassuring them that we are doing everything we can, we also want to make sure they feel we are working with them and keeping them fully updated about everything that is going on. We have stepped up patrols on the estate. "With Waverley, we are also looking at whether committing anti-social behaviour is a violation of a resident's tenancy agreement, in which case the resident can be evicted."
