Newbridge family plagued by gangs drinking in local laneway

A Newbridge family has been plagued by anti-social behaviour with gangs of people drinking at a nearby laneway.

“There was a man passed out about 20 yards from my front door on Saturday night at 9.30pm. It’s a disgrace. Especially as we’ve a young child,” said worried dad, Gary Dowling.

“There is a lot of young families in the area who are afraid for their children’s safety. This (anti-social behaviour) is a major problem which should be sorted immediately especially as there are so many young children in the area.”

Mr Dowling said he had been in contact with the gardaí and the council about the ongoing problems at St. James Lane. He said the council had come out and cleaned up the area.

However, he said once the area was cleaned up, you could see how rundown it was and there was broken glass strewn along the road surface.

He said syringes were also found during the clean up.

Mr Dowling explained how gangs of people of varying numbers gather in the area on a daily basis from Monday to Sunday to drink in the laneway.

“We’ve been onto the council, local TDs and the guards about all the anti social behaviour on James Lane Newbridge, it’s an ongoing and serious matter and problem for all residents in the area. But we seem to be getting nowhere,” he said.

Mr Dowling is calling for public lighting to be installed on the laneway to deter drinkers and for gardai to keep a closer eye to protect the nearby residents.