Episode 2 Street Patrol UK

Our lives are blighted by antisocial behaviour,

whether it's nuisance neighbours'

graffiti on the street or too much booze.

Oh!

Come in, enjoy yourself, have a drink,

but don't be a twit all night.

It's all right, darling.

This is the story of police officers, council wardens

and local volunteers whose job it is to keep it off our streets.

It's the person who's having to live next door to it

and having to put up with this. It's just not acceptable.

Welcome to Street Patrol UK.

Coming up on today's programme...

young people who drink too much and get out of hand.

The street wardens stamping out antisocial behaviour

and catching petty thieves.

BLEEP. Yeah, sorry, I've just realised.

And living next door to a garden that's a total eyesore.

We have a problem with cats and rats.

Clutter, sheds are falling, wasp nests, bees nests...

-Bit of an eyesore, is it?

-Yeah.

There's hardly a town up or down the country that doesn't have

some sort of antisocial behaviour issue.

But for many people, stopping someone in the street and trying

to appeal to their better nature is not very appealing in itself.

After all, you could be the victim of verbal abuse, or even worse.

But not everyone is fazed by gobby louts.

If anyone can sort out antisocial behaviour, it's these fellas.

They're a group of Town Rangers

who patrol the streets of Boston in Lincolnshire.

Paid for by local businesses,

they're here to tackle problems and make their town a nicer place.

-Hi, how are you?

-Good. How are you?

-Fine, thanks.

-Any problems, give us a shout.

-Will do.

-Cheers, then.

-See you.

-And how are you?

-All right. You?

-Fine, thanks.

Now, don't get the wrong idea.

Boston's no worse than anywhere else in the country,

but these guys are here for the residents who feel they

put up with lots of little issues that are quite clearly unacceptable.

I find it really annoying when people spit in the street

cos it's disgusting and there's no need to do it at all,

and it's intimidating to other people around them.

Nobody wants to see anybody rolling drunk.

You know, you don't know whether they're going to be sick.

They're just a nuisance.

Groups of youths hanging round.

Groups of people drinking, not necessarily youths,

but drinking in gangs.

Andy and Lofty - you can work out which one's which -

are two of the Rangers.

They've both got backgrounds in security and their aim is simple -

to stop bad behaviour, deter crime and, in doing so,

make everyone else feel happier and more secure.

A lot of the time, we're called to deal with antisocial behaviour,

especially drinking-induced antisocial behaviour.

We can help by, hopefully, persuading people to move on

or cease their activities.

People see us about, they know they can come to us for help.

The other elements know we're about,

so therefore it may curtail some of their activities.

Drinking in public is one of the main complaints,

and one of the regular hangouts is the children's play area -

the last place you'd want booze.

What tends to happen, unfortunately, is the...

The social drinking goes on.

Then, unfortunately, the unsocial side of it -

as in people using the place as a public convenience,

which, again, is something that people don't want to see

and something we're out to try and put a stop to, aren't we?

Here. There we go, in the kids' area.

Kids' area.

He just put it inside his jacket, by the look of it.

We have no powers to stop it,

but it might be worth just to...

A quiet word just to stop him doing it. It doesn't look good.

-You OK?

-Yeah.

Drink...

-That not in this area.

-Yeah, I know.

Can you put it in the bin, please?

Bin it or take it off site.

Thank you.

Just there's kids there.

Yeah, no problem.

Look at that. Very simple and very effective.

Just the kids, that's all.

-Cheers, mate. Thank you very much.

-Is that it?

Cheers. You're all right.

Little kids running around. Don't be drinking in there.

Nine times out of ten, we ask them nicely like that

and they will take it and dump it.

Doing the job for a while,

we get to know where these spots are that they come and drink.

Not in here, not where the kids are, it's not a good image.

And knowing where to look is half the battle.

Marcel is another Ranger, constantly out scouring the streets

for troublemakers and the debris they leave behind,

and he knows all their haunts.

Unfortunately,

the state of this area where I'm taking you now is in such a mess.

It's mainly because, once they've been moved on from everywhere,

they congregate here and, unfortunately,

the mess they leave behind is something terrible.

But it all is in hand to be cleaned up.

Typical signs of them being here are these blue bags...

and those plastic bottles.

It's already been cleaned up once.

Due to be re-cleaned again.

Aside from all the bottles and cans,

Marcel also finds evidence of drug taking.

I find these very often around here,

so we just have to dispose of them.

There's no needle in this one, thankfully.

But until I can dispose of it properly...

it goes in one of our special boxes.

I'll take care of it so it can't be reused or attempted to be reused.

Very important to remove these needles, as well,

because, if you get any children coming along...

That could be fatal for the children if ever they get stung with one.

Best to pick them up, get rid of them, dispose of them properly.

This is crucial stuff -

preventing people taking drugs and keeping kids safe.

And when the Rangers do confront someone about their antisocial

behaviour, they're not aggressive,

they're simply appealing to their better nature.

One beer, mate.

Sorry, my friend. I'm sorry, you can't.

-You can't have it. You shouldn't be doing that.

-OK.

-Yeah?

-I take bin.

I put bin. Yes?

-It's not a very nice place...

-But this area, not bin.

Yeah, but this is the church.

-OK, OK.

-We've got children, families...

Yes, yes, yes.

Again, a very easy conversation.

However, just moments later,

Marcel finds someone who isn't prepared to change his ways.

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm not drinking it.

-I'm holding it and walking through from one place to another.

-OK.

Right, bud? I'm not drinking it. You're OK, mate.

These two in particular, I'm not going to take it

any further than that because they do get nasty

and it doesn't just go out to me, it'll go out...

Anybody who passes, he'll start blaspheming and swearing at them.

I don't want that to happen, so I'm not taking it any further.

I'm just letting them get on,

and we'll catch up with them later, at some stage.

The Rangers are always on the lookout and ready to pounce.

By chance, Andy and Lofty are visiting one of the town's

large stores when they're tipped off that someone's shoplifting.

A guy has been caught on CCTV stuffing things into his jacket.

Thefts like this are a major problem in Boston.

On average, the Rangers deal with 400 shoplifters each year.

Not only does it affect hardworking people,

but it damages a community's reputation.

The Rangers wait outside in case the man tries to leave

without paying for the things he's put in his jacket.

There's, er...

He's just telling them we're outside the door still.

-He's on the tills at the minute.

-Yeah.

As soon as he comes out, that's when James is following.

Apparently, he's stuffed two in his jacket

and he's paying for two now.

They're going to wait for him to leave,

and then their security guard will stop them.

We go, as we do, as a back-up, just in case we're needed.

Excuse me. Excuse me.

BLEEP. Yeah, sorry. I've just realised.

-Go back to the store, mate, please.

-Sorry. I forgot about that.

Sorry about that.

It's now the decision of these people, cos it's their retail outlet,

as to what will happen next.

We have to wait and see. It's James' decision.

So, we'll wait and see what happens here.

We have reacted to this,

so we will follow it through to whatever the conclusion is.

The Rangers will now make sure all the businesses in town

are informed about this particular shoplifter.

That way, every single store owner can keep their eye on him

and they can clamp down on his antisocial behaviour together.

For us, they add a little bit of security for the town.

Knowing that they're there, we can rely on them,

call on them at any time.

I think the more we see them, the more of a presence we have,

the more a part of the town they are.

I do get satisfaction out of what I do -

I think we all do.

As somebody who lives in Boston, I think anything I can do

to make the town a better place is a benefit for us all.

Now, you won't be surprised to hear that, at night time,

town centres can be hotspots for antisocial behaviour.

Take crowds of people out partying, add a hefty slug of alcohol,

and you've got the perfect recipe for bad behaviour.

This is Gloucester on a Saturday night

and, as ever, the police are out in force

to keep revellers on the straight and narrow.

MEN CHEERING

They know people want to have fun, and why shouldn't they?

So, the coppers' job is to come down hard on the individuals

who get in the way of everyone else enjoying themselves.

Oi! Is that your car?

-No, it's not.

-Well, get off it then.

-Hello!

-Hello.

PC Hugo Kirkwood is out on nightshift patrolling the streets.

It's the very early hours of the morning,

and many of the clubbers have bought their kebabs

and are starting to stagger home.

Come this way, mate. He's fine.

And, as he spots a bunch of lads, he clocks one of them

relieving himself at the side of the road.

-You're stopping for a minute, thank you.

-OK. That's fine.

-What have you just done?

-I don't know.

Mate, he's absolutely hammered. He does not know what he's done.

-When we came round the corner...

-Yup.

-..I'll tell you what you were doing.

-OK.

-You were stood over there, taking a leak.

-OK.

Weren't you?

You can't remember taking a leak?

If you say so, then I was. I'm not going to lie.

-He was absolutely hammered.

-Right.

-Was he taking a leak?

-I was not looking at the time.

-Right. So, come with me. We'll go and have a little look, shall we?

-OK.

-Come on.

-Whatever you say is the truth.

There you go. You're now standing in it.

That's you.

Whatever you say... I mean, I can't lie.

I mean, you're the police, I'm not going to lie to you.

He's had a bad night, mate.

He's had a bad night? It looks like he's had

quite a good night, to be honest. He's had far too much.

He's had a really bad night, that's why he's like this.

If you look at the night I've had...

Do you think it's acceptable to urinate up against street furniture?

He does not... He does not think that's acceptable.

-So, why do it?

-I don't know, mate.

I apologise. I mean, I shouldn't have had the toilet.

-I mean, it's disgusting. I mean, if you...

-It stinks.

If you came here right now with a sponge,

-I promise I would clean it up...

-Unfortunately, I don't have a sponge.

-I would love to.

-It's disrespectful, it's terrible

and I apologise for it. I mean, I shouldn't have done it.

Urinating in public is an offence under the Public Order Act

and can lead to a night in the cells and a fine.

But in this instance, Hugo takes a different tack.

Have you spent all your money tonight?

No, mate. I think I've got about four quid on me -

enough to get home for the taxi.

I propose to deal with this by way of something called COPS -

it's Community Orientated Policing Scheme,

which is a power that we have in Gloucestershire as police officers.

I'm going to write in my pocket notebook

-that you accept what you've done.

-Yup.

-Yeah?

-And you understand that it's not acceptable.

-Yup.

And then you're going to rustle up, between you and your friends,

and you'll have to pay them back £10.

That £10 is going to be given to the Street Pastors Charity

-in Gloucester who work with the night-time economy.

-All right.

Making sure people that get too drunk

-and can't handle it are safe and well.

-That's fine.

You do that, there'll be no further action taken against you.

Mate, that's fine.

Thankfully, he's got some good mates.

One of them stumps up the tenner straight away

and everyone's learnt a valuable lesson.

Plus, the charity gets some help, as well.

Looks like a sensible way of dealing with a very antisocial situation.

Go home. Goodnight.

Thank you very much. I don't know why I've just done that.

You haven't washed your hands, have you?

You've probably done it tonight, as well, haven't you?

-No, I haven't. I'm not like that.

-Goodnight. See you later.

-Bye.

-I'll make sure he gets home.

And the seagulls will clear the chips away.

One young woman reveller pushes Hugo too far

and has to face the consequences.

I've been out and about on a street patrol of my own

to hear what bothers you about Britain today.

-Now, Tilly, you're a lady from Italy, aren't you?

-Hmm-hmm. Yeah.

Can you tell me what bugs you that's antisocial and really winds you up?

I find it really, really awful when I see people

with their shirts off as soon as it's warm weather, for instance.

Walking down the streets, um, throwing litter.

Being drunk around the streets - that happens quite a lot.

Very nice to meet you, PC Riley. Is that what they call you?

Yeah. Amongst other things, yes.

PC Riley, give me an idea -

when you're out on the beat, give me an idea of some

of the things that you have to deal with on a regular basis.

Dog poo on the high street, littering, people drinking...

We get lots of drinker round here,

but they don't have their drink long if I'm around.

I take their beer off them and any beer they've got on their possession,

that seems to hurt them more. And it seems to be working.

Since I've been here two years, there's very few drinks

on this high street when we're around.

As young lads, what have you witnessed older people doing

which they should know better?

Walking through this high street, you see a lot of older people drunk,

scattering about, people on their phones while driving,

just reckless things like that.

Then they start to blame it on youngers, when people are driving

at young ages, they seem to think, "Oh, they're going to be doing that,"

or drunk kids, and it all just gets brought back on us.

What about you? What have you seen the older generation doing?

A lot around here, a lot of drunk people

just walking around in the middle of the day.

Not even at night, where it's a little bit more understandable.

In the middle of the day, walking around, shouting, causing havoc...

It's just unnecessary, isn't it? You know, it's not needed.

I agree with you both, 100%.

Guys, thanks ever so much for your time.

Appreciate that. Good luck, fellas.

The worst thing about antisocial behaviour

is when it's happening right on your own doorstep,

especially if it's something you can see

every time you open the curtains.

And that is exactly what happens with hoarders.

You see, over the years, they collect just about anything and everything.

And, quite often, they're gardens can become an eyesore,

not to mention a health hazard,

and the neighbours just want to get it cleared.

Now, let's not pretend that we're all expert gardeners.

Lots of us could spend more time keeping things trim outdoors,

but imagine living next door to this.

We're in Pontypool in South Wales

and this is what Gail James looks out on every single day.

It's been her view for several years.

We have a problem with cats and rats,

clutter, sheds are falling.

The walls... The hedge is overgrown.

Wasps nests, bees nests and just rubbish.

Things have got so bad that the housing association has had to step in.

They've sent down their hoarding expert, Gail Brusch,

so that she can work her magic.

-It's a bit of an eyesore, is it?

-Yeah. It's...

So, what other issues...?

I'm just worried about the stuff falling down, the smell...

-What's the smell from?

-That from down behind over there.

Loads of stuff was dumped behind the sheds.

-So it's just rotting.

-Yeah.

Do you have any rats or mice...?

We did have rats. I haven't seen them for a while,

but I have had poison put down recently.

-Is that in this garden?

-Just down over there, where the bricks are.

That's why my daughter can't come out and play

because of the poison being constantly put down.

-And I don't want the risk of her playing with it.

-No, not at all.

The garden is clearly giving a lot of cause for concern,

but it doesn't belong to some rude, inconsiderate person

who ignores all his neighbours.

It's this man.

77-year-old Percy Watkins actually used to love gardening,

but then, sadly Percy's wife died and, since then,

things have got on top of him.

It was about seven or eight years ago. Up until then, it was tidy.

And we've lived here for 20-odd years,

so she loved it.

And, six years ago, she passed away.

So...

It was a bit of a shock and...

it just deteriorated. I didn't even paint the sheds.

At my age now, 20 minutes and I just can't do any more.

Percy spent 32 years working down the mines.

Since then, he's had two knee replacements,

which obviously have an impact on how much gardening he can do.

He also has to look after his son, Owen, who has special needs.

We managed it years ago and we had chairs out here, you could sit down.

But then, once she went,

there wasn't much point in sitting out here,

and it just corroded.

Things have happened and it's just got out of hand.

There's no way he can make that garden nice again on his own.

There is just too much work there for anyone.

So, for Percy, being the age he is...

..and the fact that he has to look after his son,

that's just too much work for one person to be doing.

It's worth pointing out that there's absolutely no animosity

from his neighbours towards Percy himself.

They all think he's a really good bloke

who's has had a few tough years.

But, while Percy's certainly no nuisance neighbour,

his garden has become antisocial and he desperately needs help.

So, it's time for Gail and her army to swing into action.

What we're hoping is to obviously get it back to that stage

where you can go out there, sit out there...

First thing's first - a full assessment of the site

and any potential hazards.

That building there, there's glass or Perspex on top of it.

There's also a few blocks and if you look at it...

Well, we put the blocks on there...

-There's an option that could fall on to somebody.

-Yeah.

-All the steel that's here can be taken up to the top.

-Right.

Put up against the fence inside.

It's a lot of steel, though.

It means we're just moving things from one place to another.

-Did you want the steel?

-Erm...

Some of it, but not all of it.

Cos what I'd like to do is have it all gone.

Because I just feel, as you say, there's a lot of steel items.

We're just moving it from one place to another.

So, it is better if we can get rid of as much as possible on the day.

We've got the vans. We've got the skips.

So, try to be a little bit firm with yourself.

"No, it's got to go. It's got to go."

We keep all these little ornaments and things, that's all lovely,

unless you want rid of them.

All those ornaments is what the wife used to like.

-Right.

-The water feature there...

-So, do you want to keep them, then?

-Yeah.

-Lovely.

Gail has a fine line to tread.

Some of the items clearly have sentimental value for Percy,

but Gail has a duty to his neighbours

to clear this place right out.

There's a lot of work to do.

The garden's absolutely full.

There's a lot of dangerous elements in the garden

that gives me concern for the team coming in.

Wire, some of the glass that's hanging,

some of the framework - all that needs to come down first.

And let's not forget the rats the neighbour spotted.

There's a lot of reasons this garden needs sorting

and it's a good job Gail's around.

Gail will be back with a full team

and a couple of skips in just a few days' time,

but will she be able to persuade Percy to let things go?

Percy, do you want this?

It's staying. OK, it's staying.

Antisocial behaviour is about a lack of human decency

and disrespect for people around you.

And if someone's way of life is making yours a misery,

well, that's about as antisocial as it gets.

But, lucky enough for you and me,

there are plenty of people out there that we can turn to.

And this series is their chance to shine.

We're on the front line with the highly-skilled teams

of council workers, police officers and local volunteers

who are committed to keeping our streets safe and clean,

and taking on our antisocial battles on a daily basis

to make sure that our lives are not blighted

by other people's bad behaviour.

This is Street Patrol UK.

Go to pretty much any town or village in the UK

and you will see reminders of our past.

I'm talking about local churches, stately homes,

battlefields and memorials,

and some of them have been there for hundreds of years.

They are a reminder of just how proud we are of our country.

So, it's pretty disgusting when yobs want to vandalise them in the name of entertainment.

And that's what's happened at Scarborough Castle

in North Yorkshire.

For 2,500 years, this place has stood firm

against sieges and civil wars.

King Richard III gathered his army together here before his death

at the famous Battle of Bosworth over 500 years ago.

The castle is also home to a Roman signal station

dating back to the fourth century.

Perched on a cliff top,

it's the perfect location to spot a coastal invasion.

But its ancient defences couldn't stop a group of modern day

teenagers targeting the castle for mindless vandalism.

They actually damaged some of the Roman signal station

and they used the blocks to try and get into the crypt.

They also damaged some of the more modern structures,

so they damaged the flagpole,

and they damaged some of the lights.

Some of the metal caps on some of the staircases.

Unfortunately, the Roman signal station, some of it now lost,

it can't be repaired.

These thoughtless vandals have destroyed something

that's been here for 17 centuries.

That stonework is now lost forever and can never be replaced.

Scarborough people are passionate about the castle, erm,

and I think people were horrified

that it had happened.

I think it's quite disgusting, really,

and I don't see the point in it.

I don't know what they get out of it,

and it's such a shame because it spoils things for other people.

It makes me angry, people vandalising the castle.

It doesn't set a good impression to my son,

to anybody else what comes up here. It's just not a nice thing to see.

So, how did the antisocial villains get onto the site?

After all, it's a castle built to withstand the onslaught

of all but the most determined of unwelcome visitors.

This is where we think they managed to...

Yeah. Oh, this looks favourite.

Judging by the litter and the graffiti, and the broken glass...

I'm pretty sure that's a good route.

Again, even if it's only party time,

it's the damage to the monument.

It looks like it's a well-used area.

Recent, as well.

We've got the graffiti on the walls.

-The carved into the stone graffiti, so quite a bit of damage here.

-Yes.

And even the simple process of cleaning off graffiti

can further damage the historical stone.

But in a place like this

you can't just leave it daubed with spray-paint.

If I saw somebody vandalising the castle,

I would feel angry about it and I would - if I was here -

I would try and catch them, and I would bring them to justice

cos I think it's awful.

But why would anyone want to wreak such havoc on this unique historical

site that has been Scarborough's guardian for so many years.

Clearly, we don't know the motives behind the attack.

This appears to be completely senseless.

My guess is that the people involved had very little

knowledge of what they were actually doing,

the significance of what they were attacking,

and it is sickening.

It seems that the only motive was vandalism, pure and simple.

Latest figures show that 30,000 of our heritage sites in the UK

are damaged every year by Vandals.

But without highly-priced, constant security,

and unless the hooligans are caught red-handed,

prosecutions are hard to come by.

The offenders at Scarborough Castle very nearly got off Scot-free.

There was no evidence of who'd caused the damage.

There were no fingerprints

found at the scene, or any DNA, or anything like that.

But, like a lot of criminals, they made a big mistake

and, as befitting a 21st century crime,

they made it on social media - posting on Facebook.

An anonymous person had printed off a picture from a social network site

and it had on there a picture

of one of our offenders in the castle.

It also had his name on there.

This piece of paper had then been passed to the castle staff,

who then reported it to us and we were able to locate this offender

and have him arrested.

The incriminating photos showed the offenders

in front of the damage they'd caused,

jubilant at the results of their destructive behaviour,

and it ensured they were bang-to-rights for the crime.

Sometimes, all you need is a bit of luck, community spirit

and criminals who just can't resist showing off.

Well caught out.

Without that piece of information,

we wouldn't have been able to ascertain who had caused this damage,

unless one of the offenders had come forward

and identified himself or the others that were involved.

The offenders, both local lads aged 18,

received 140 hours of unpaid community work between them

after admitting causing £5,000 worth of damage.

One of the defendants was said to be thoroughly ashamed

and his family disgusted by what he had done.

The real damage is to the historic fabric,

to the irreplaceable Roman stones,

to the other elements of the fabric that have been damaged.

We can't replace those. No amount of money can replace that,

and that's really why looking after our properties is fundamental

and important that we prevent this sort of damage in the future.

HE MUMBLES

Back in Gloucester, PC Hugo Kirkwood is out on patrol.

And while it's already late, for many people,

-the night is still young.

-Hiya!

And in the city centre,

the misbehaviour can come thick and fast.

This man's had a skinful and already taken a swing at a bouncer.

Hugo and his colleagues are on the scene very quickly.

I like the city centre - it gives me plenty to do.

I never get bored. There's never a dull moment in the city -

best place to work in Gloucestershire.

He's getting a Section 27 order, which is essentially

an order to leave the city centre for the next 24 hours.

It moves people that have caused us problems out of the city.

If they come back, they're in breach of that

and then we'd arrest them and they'd spend the night in the cells.

Breakfast out of a cardboard box.

And, for some people,

their bad behaviour means that's the only option.

Hugo has been called to help some officers dealing

with an altercation that's got out of hand.

I'd like to say two young ladies, but certainly two females

have decided they don't like each other,

had a little bit of a fight.

It looks like one, if not two of them have been arrested.

So, we're going to go and pick them up and take them to cells.

-Behave yourself.

-WOMAN SHOUTS

BLEEP

-Right, out you come.

-Give me my bag.

Stand still.

Listen...

BLEEP

She obviously hasn't had any sort of search.

It'll come with you, don't worry.

SHE SOBS

This woman is clearly out of line and there's no doubt that

everyone will benefit if she takes a little trip to the police station.

She's tried to assault two police officers who, at the end of the day,

are only doing their job, trying to keep everybody safe.

So, she's coming in for drunk and disorderly.

She'll spend the night in the cells, get dealt with in the morning

and...probably regret her actions deeply

once she's sobered up a little.

Come on, then.

Make sure you don't fall down.

A short trip in the back of the van has calmed down the woman's temper.

It turns out that, even though she's been paying for her friend all night,

that mate's now been ungrateful and upset her in some way.

Now, that might be irritating

but it's certainly not an excuse for antisocial behaviour.

When she's been calmed down, or police have tried to calm her down,

and told her to calm down, stop being silly, and go home,

that's the end of your night,

she's not been able to accept that and she's carried on.

You don't want to hear all the language, you don't need it.

People just want to go out and have a good time,

and that means having a few drinks, having a laugh, you know,

a few pints, go and get some food afterward without any trouble,

without any bother and without having to skirt around things like that.

Walk into the road to avoid people that are fighting and brawling,

and effing and jeffing at the police.

I think it stops people from coming into town.

Over in Pontypool, the day has arrived to clean out Percy's garden.

Hiya! How are you? All right?

We've got two skips, haven't we?

Since his wife died, and because of his own age

and the problems with his legs,

the garden has been too much for him to cope with on his own.

But, although Percy is a decent guy,

his garden is an antisocial nightmare for his neighbours.

His hoarding tendency means there's masses of rubbish in there,

along with broken glass and barbed wire.

Its overgrown, rotting material means it smells horrible

and his next-door neighbour says she's seen rats.

Although Percy denies that, the neighbour's daughter

isn't allowed to play outside.

We had a problem with cats and rats.

Clutter, sheds are falling.

The walls, the hedge is overgrown.

Wasps nests, bees nests and just rubbish.

The whole place needs clearing urgently.

The operation has been masterminded

by the housing association's expert de-clutterer.

There's a lot to do, probably more than I actually initially thought.

We've got two skips and we've got three tipper trucks,

and then we have probably 30 people arriving.

Many are volunteers, including some of Percy's neighbours

who want to help him out.

While they get their overalls on,

Gail briefs the experts on her team.

Certain hazards need to be sorted before anyone else can start work.

There's glass on the top of there, look,

that's definitely got to come off.

The wire needs cutting off here where the red door is, can you see?

-Yeah.

-There's barbed wire.

And... I think, as well,

-there's something coming to prop this up.

-Yeah.

The lads set to work, removing the wooden glass structure

that looks like it could topple at any time.

They're professionals in this experience of garden clearing

and so they all know what to take away first to save any hazards.

We have a lot of hazards in this garden and, as we go,

Percy's going to be at hand to give us a...

Whether he wants to keep things or whether he's happy for things to go.

Obviously, it's better just to clear it out as much as possible

-and then he can buy all new again.

-SHE LAUGHS

There are certain things in the garden that have

sentimental value to Percy, but he can't keep it all.

She said there'd be quite a few people here,

but I didn't expect this many.

So, I don't know what...

-I want to keep those.

-You want to keep them?

-Yeah.

Give me them here.

I'll put them in with the others.

-Do you want me to put them down for you?

-No, it's all right.

Gail's made it clear to Percy that, for his neighbours,

it's really important the dangers are removed.

Even so, he's keeping a close eye on everything they shift.

I want the pots back, like.

-You want the pots back?

-Yeah.

Once all the big stuff is out the way, everyone else can get going.

Although the front garden also needs attention,

it's nowhere near as bad as the back.

Keeping all the pots where they are.

Just take the weeds out and the grasses out,

and then litter from the garden,

being careful with the centre area there.

Only this week, he's decided to sprinkle

his wife's ashes in this area of the garden here.

So, we have to be really respectful to that

and be careful what we're doing in there.

In fact, it's better that we don't even touch that area there.

So, we'll clear up the garden but leaving the centre feature alone.

She has passed away six years ago

but, obviously, this week what we're doing here maybe made him think

this is where he'd like to put her - in the garden.

And that's what he's done.

And...it's very nice. Very nice.

Percy's wife enjoyed the garden,

and when she was alive they kept it looking smart.

They amassed a large collection of stone ornaments,

something Percy is understandably keen to keep.

-These things are broken, so...

-I'm just taking a few...

-Yeah.

We'll take some of these out.

Anything you see, like that, broken - bin it, yeah?

I've no doubt, for him, there's some sadness.

He's seeing some of the ornaments go that his wife and he collected

and put into the garden, but they're broken.

So, it's better for him to be able to sit in the garden

and enjoy the nice pieces, and the pieces that are there

and solid, rather than broken and crumbling.

So, I think, when we've finished, he'll be happy with it.

And, after just 40 minutes,

the garden is already looking radically different.

Well, it's going well. It's going well.

There's 20 people here already, working.

They're all volunteers, so, you know, it's really kind of them.

They're giving up their time.

Next on the long list of jobs is shifting a massive pile of old wood.

In the garden's glory days, this was a shed 24 feet long,

but Gail's started to worry about where she's going to put it all.

Let's get one builder and then let's look at the situation.

And then we've still got two trucks,

and then we've still got this little bit here.

Luckily, we're taking out the metal for the scrap guy,

otherwise they would have been filled up by now.

A lot has gone, but my concern now is that we're not

going to have enough vehicles to take it all away.

There's more than we thought.

But we're OK. We'll just make some phone calls.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Now that a lot of the rubbish has been cleared,

the team can start to tackle the greenery

which has been left to grow wild.

After a couple of hours, the garden is packed with volunteers,

including Percy's son, Owen.

Owen, can you manage that?

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

All right then, sweetheart. OK.

-Where do you want to put it?

-Up the top in the skip.

Can somebody help Owen?

Thank you.

It's not the same garden we used to know.

With such a large team working flat out...

Have we got a couple of strong guys?

..it really doesn't take long for the problem areas to be cleared.

And, crucially, the view from the neighbour's house

is now completely different.

The hazards are gone and the garden

is no longer an attraction for vermin.

So, do you think now, Percy,

-you'll keep on top of this?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Definitely.

-Cos now you've had so much help, it would be good...

-Yeah.

..to keep it like this.

I can't thank you all enough.

Oh, thank you, Percy. Thank you.

They're fantastic.

I didn't think they'd finish it today.

Looks more like a garden now. Not a wilderness.

And, importantly for Percy,

the garden now looks much more like it did when his wife was around.

She'd be out of this world.

If she was here, we'd still have been doing it.

Cos she loved gardening.

And it's all down to Gail and Percy's local community.

They all came together to tackle an antisocial problem,

and that issue is now well and truly sorted.

Since we filmed with our antisocial saviours,

here's some updates for you.

In Gloucester, the young woman who was arrested for assaulting

two police officers spent a night in a cell

and, after eating her breakfast out of a cardboard box,

she was released without charge.

Hugo and his colleagues continue to work hard through

the night to keep antisocial behaviour in check.

In Scarborough, since the successful prosecution of teenagers

for the vandalism of the 2,500-year-old castle,

police now patrol the area with dogs as part of their training,

and, so far, this canine deterrent has worked a treat.

In Pontypool,

after the extraordinary efforts of the local community,

Percy's kept his back garden clean and tidy,

and he can now relax and enjoy sitting outside,

and his neighbours are finally enjoying their own gardens again.

And, in Boston, the Rangers continue their amazing work.

These days, they now patrol the evenings three evenings a week

and after dark they're even busier.

Thanks for watching. See you next time.

Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd