Residents who live near a Cwmbran wood that was closed due to vandalism and anti-social behaviour have spoken out over claims it was “children having fun”.
Cwmbran Life has spoken to two residents who live near Garw Wood in Croesyceiliog. They said their experiences of some of the incidents that led to its closure in June need to be told.
The pair would only share their stories anonymously. They had read comments on social media calling for the woods to be reopened and the children allowed to “play” in them but felt it was important that their side of the story was also heard.
Three main issues came out of the interviews; the language and behaviour of the children, the damage to the trees and the effect on local wildlife, and fears that the BMX riders put themselves and car drivers in danger.
‘Cars slamming on their brakes’
One resident told how large groups of BMX riders would race through the course they built in the woods and out onto a pavement alongside two main roads.
They said: “I’ve got children and you want them to have fun but it was getting a bit dangerous with their bikes racing towards the road. They would come out of the woods really quickly on their bikes. You would see cars slamming on their brakes.
“I thought ‘oh my god’ and thought an accident is going to happen if they lost control of their bikes.
“And if my child just steps out from behind the hedges and they’re going past, it won’t end well.
“Cars would swerve in the road or put their brakes on. The speed the boys were coming out of the wood. I didn’t see them once on the road, but as a driver, when you’re looking and see a bike coming towards you, you assume the child will go on the road.
“We just want a quiet life. I was a little bit worried there was going to be an accident.
“No-one wants to be a party pooper and stop people having fun but I was concerned about the safety of the boys when they were bombing down the road.”
‘It was becoming intolerable’
Another resident said the swearing was intolerable and the impact on wildlife and the ancient woods had to be recognised, saying it wasn’t a suitable place for a BMX track.
They told Cwmbran Life: “These children then, every single day started damaging [the woods]. All we could hear was banging. All we were hearing all the time was the constant banging, the ‘C You Next Tuesday’ word, ‘F’ this, ‘F’ that.
“There was a lot of foul language going on. They were racing down the ancient woodland all the way around up Caerwent Road pavement, and then all along up Edlogan Way pavement, doing a loop and then back down.
“It didn’t matter how fast they were going or if someone was trying to cross the road to go to the shops, they wouldn’t stop. They were also going in between cars, in and out of cars, going out onto the main road so a bit dangerous for people driving on the road.
“Their behaviour was absolutely disgusting. I didn’t know what they were doing but it became evident they were building a track and every single day, we were putting up with foul language, abuse from them and it was just becoming intolerable.
“Sometimes it could be up until gone 9 o’clock at night. It was an absolute eyesore.
“The behaviour from these children had a detrimental impact on the mental health of people living in the area and were also impacting the disabled and the children just didn’t care.
“Children were seen walking around with full-sized garden spades which was alarming at the beginning when we did not know what they were up to.”
‘Always been a quiet area’
They also spoke about the damage to the trees and the noise: “They’d taken the bark off the trees. They’ve potentially shortened the life span of the trees. As a resident, it’s been an absolute nightmare and a misery. We do not want to be hearing the foul language that we’ve had to.
“And people working from home as well. Obviously, if they’re on work meetings and they’re getting that picked up in the background, that language, it’s just not acceptable.
“I couldn’t live like it.
“It’s always been a quiet area. It’s a well-kept kept quiet area.”
The resident said the support from the local police community support officer has been “phenomenal”.
They said: “We cannot thank PS Michelle Thorne and CSO Alex Rouf enough for the support they continue to provide us within the community. They have been absolutely amazing and brought back peace and harmony once again to our area.
“Bron Afon’s goal is to let it grow back. The wildlife is slowly coming back and they’re working with Torfaen Council on a regrowth scheme.
“It’s always been quiet around here. It’s a lovely place to live. That was making it hell and it had to be stopped because it was impacting a lot of our lives around here and it wasn’t nice.
“The thing is, it’s an ancient woodland. One of them was a beech tree and they’ve taken the bark off all the way around and ripped branches off as well.
“I don’t think they appreciate it and they don’t care about the wildlife. It’s a bit sad.
“Somebody keeps opening the fences Bron Afon has put in place. If children are caught in the area causing destruction it will be reported immediately to the police so please ensure your children stay away from the area and take pride in the natural beauty of where we live and the wildlife we have here.”
Cwmbran Life contacted Gwent Police and Bron Afon for to ask for a comment and this is what they said.
Bron Afon comment
Mark Burchell, Bron Afon’s specialist team leader (Trees), said, “Members of our team visit Garw Wood several times a week to make sure the fencing is still in place and is safe.
“They have noticed encouraging signs of regrowth throughout the woodland.
“We are working closely with Torfaen Council’s Environmental team to make the area safe and accessible for the local community. As part of our plans, we are looking to install pedestrian gated access at the top of the wood and to place large deadwood logs throughout the woodland to enhance wildlife habitats and support biodiversity.
“We will also be planting native locally grown saplings in the wood from November with the help of the Branching Out project.”
Gwent Police comment
PS Michelle Thorne, Neighbourhood Sergeant for Cwmbran said: “We’re aware of reports of anti-social behaviour in Cwmbran over the last few months, including alleged damage to Garw Woods.
“Anti-social behaviour, and any offences associated to it, is completely unacceptable and can cause great distress and upset to residents.
“We’re committed to doing what we can, together with our partners and members of the public, to make Cwmbran a place where people feel not only safe but also proud of their community.
“We have recently issued dispersal orders which can be re-introduced if needed and have increased our presence in the area over recent months.
“When it comes to anti-social behaviour, we’re guided not only by information gathered though investigations and patrols, but by information the public has provided through their reports, so please do continue to report.
“Our message is clear, such behaviour will not be tolerated and with your help those found responsible will be dealt with appropriately.”