Two St. David?s women have lashed out at Police for not arresting a man they say threatened them with a machete in front of their kids.

They said the man brandished the weapon after a row over noise got out of hand, leaving their children traumatised.

Kijana Butterfield, 27, said her five-year-old daughter had suffered nightmares after the bust up outside a BHC shelter in Tommy Fox Road on Tuesday night.

She said the man had complained about a ball hitting his wall and then had emerged with the blade after she shut his window as the argument raged.

?My children were crying, saying ?Momma, we don?t want you to die.??

She said Police were called but instead of arresting the man and carting him off to spend a night in jail he was allowed to stay in his apartment.

?He was left to have a good night?s sleep. But my daughter had nightmares last night. If he was a young man they would have taken him but because he?s old he stayed.?

Her neighbour Takeesha Taylor, 27, agreed and said her children had been emotionally harmed by the confrontation.

?My three-year-old son woke up last night screaming. I don?t feel satisfied.?

Police said the incident was being investigated.

A spokesman added: ?Appropriate action was taken by the Police officers who attended the scene.

?They took a report and then seized two machetes.?understands that officers were unable to make an arrest because they did not see anyone in possession of a machete. A source said that the age of a suspect made no difference.