Denaby “Rowdies” are Becoming a Pest.

December 1963

South Yorkshire Times, December 28.

Denaby “Rowdies” are Becoming a Pest.

Police are stepping up their measures to quell the young “rowdies” of Denaby Main, who are pestering old-age pensioners in the mining town, and who may be endangering the lives of some of the old people.

Parents Approached.

Mrs Frances Lunn, Warden of the old people’s bungalows in Shepherds Close, Denaby, complained to Conisbrough Urban Council recently that youths were playing around the bungalows after dark and causing considerable annoyance to the pensioners.

The letter was passed on to the police by the Council and the police official said last week that extra effort would be made to prevent further trouble. Parents of several of the offenders had been approached already, he said.

Mrs Lunn told the “South Yorkshire Times,” “This business is really disgraceful. There are some very old people living in these bungalows, some of them heart cases.

“These boys don’t start their racket until eight o’clock at night, and then they begin running about in the porches and between the bungalows playing hide and seek, “she said, “They go absolutely mad and get into gangs of 20 or more, mostly aged between nine and 14.

Rude Remarks.

“I had to go out every night for a whole fortnight to clear them away from the bungalows, but even then got nothing but rude remarks from them,” she added, “It’s been going on for about three months now and theĀ old people are getting no privacy at all. The children are even taking shortcuts to school through the surrounding gardens.”

One of the residents told our reporter: “This kind of thing wants stopping. I am 82 and my neighbour is 87, and we just can’t stand much annoyance at our age.”

She added:” We have been out to them at times but they just pull faces at us.”

She agreed that with many of the old people suffering from illness, some of them with heart conditions, this type of disturbance could have very serious consequences.