Like living in a war-zone, say residents after attack

IT WAS 14 years ago that Geraint Handley and his family moved to Union Place in Merthyr Tydfil, a quiet street that once offered a sense of safety and community.

- LOIS MCCARTHY

However, over the years, they say they have watched as the area has steadily deteriorated, with the neighbourhood now feeling more like a "war-zone" than the place they once called home.

Geraint said it wasn't until his daughter's car was attacked that he realised just how bad things had gotten.

The act of vandalism that left his 17-year-old daughter's car severely damaged was the most recent incident in a series of troubling events.

According to Geraint, the abandoned St Tydfil's Hospital has become a hub for anti-social behaviour, and the surrounding area has borne the brunt of it.

The hospital, left in ruin since its closure a decade ago, is said to attract gangs of kids, drug users, and even arsonists. For Geraint, the attack on his daughter's car was a stark reminder of how the wider neighbourhood has been affected by this ongoing problem.

The incident occurred on Monday, April 21, shortly after Geraint said he confronted a group of teenagers for verbally attacking his next-door neighbour.

Around 8.30pm, Geraint's neighbour was working outside on a ladder when he says he became the target of verbal abuse and stone-throwing by a group of teenagers.

"I went out to watch the football; Merthyr had won the league," Geraint said. "When I got home, I saw a commotion in the street. My neighbour, who was on a ladder, was being verbally attacked, and they were throwing stones at him. His wife was petrified."

Not willing to let the situation slide, Geraint claimed that he stepped in and told the teenagers to stop, making it clear that the abuse wasn't acceptable.