Stone-throwing gangs stop lorries

Supermarket delivery drivers will no longer enter an estate at certain times of day because of anti-social behaviour by youths.

Drivers bringing produce from an Iceland store to homes in the Vineries Estate in Gillingham, Kent, have been forced to stop visits between 1800 and 2000 BST, a councillor has said.

They have reported stones being thrown at their vans and verbal abuse from large groups of teenagers.

Labour councillor Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti, who represents Gillingham North on Medway Council, said drivers had suffered abuse and damage to their vehicles.

Action group

But he stressed the ban would be only a temporary measure.

He said: "It's a matter which we have to look at seriously.

"We have to deal with the causes of the incident, which is trying to find out why we get the youths causng anti-social behaviour problems.

"It's a matter of going out and meeting the local residents, finding out exactly what the problem is and if we can arrange activity places for these youths so they don't cause trouble on the streets."

Some people living on the Vineries Estate set up the Freesia Close Action Group earlier this year in response to repeated incidents of vandalism and abuse.

Iceland continues to make deliveries to householders on the estate who have ordered over the internet between 1000 BST and 1800 BST every day.