Residents of a community in Devonshire are having to run a gauntlet of “intimidating” youths as a result of the continued closure of Devon Springs Road.

Devonshire East MP Michael Dunkley yesterday revealed he is receiving “almost daily” complaints from residents who have been verbally abused, pushed off their mopeds and had their cars pelted with eggs by a group of youngsters who regularly congregate at the junction of Devon Springs Road and Devon Springs Lane - the only access point currently available for the area.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering announced on Tuesday that a number of “ownership and liability issues” are holding up the repair work due to be carried out on a dangerously weak roadside wall along Devon Springs Road - but as yet have given no indication as to when they will be resolved.

Joseph Perry, who has lived in the area for 70 years, said yesterday that the situation “is now getting out of hand” while he alleged, as did other residents contacted by this newspaper, that drugs were also in circulation at the location.

“The road has been closed for a year now and those of us who live around here have no option but to use the junction of Devon Springs Road and Devon Springs Lane in order to get home,” he said.

“These boys on the street, many of whom don't even live around here, are constantly blocking the street, shouting bad language at motorists and have even started to graffiti some areas. It is very intimidating driving past them every day and I don't think the Police have been as pro-active as they could be in sorting out the problem.”

Mr. Dunkley said that Government had had “more than enough time” to make the necessary repairs to the wall and while the road remained closed it would be “only a matter of time until somebody gets hurt”.

“The wall has been crumbling since November-December of last year,” he said.

“I approached the Ministry at the time and following the closure of the road, I was given assurances by the then-Minister Terry Lister that work would start straight away. Then there was a change of Minister and since then there has been no progress made.”

“Many residents up there are extremely aggravated, concerned and frightened,” he continued.

“It simply is not right that these people should be subjected to that kind of intimidation after a hard day at work when they just want to travel home in peace.

“Some of them have lived in the area all of their lives and are now beginning to question whether they want to stay there any more. Action has got to be taken as soon as possible to alleviate both problems.”

The Royal Gazette has obtaineda letter from Permanent Secretary of Works Russell Wade to Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith bringing the trouble spot to his attention - although all residents contacted by this newspaper said the situation was getting worse and urged the Police to take more stringent action.

In a press release on Thursday, Works Minister Ashfield De Vent said the issue of unruly youths congregating in the area “is currently being addressed” by the Operational Policing Division.

He reiterated the Ministry's earlier claim that it could not begin work on the wall until some “liability issues” are fully clarified. “The question of public safety is still our main concern,” he said.

“The wall at Devon Springs Road has been seriously undermined and as I indicated previously, we are working through the liability issues as quickly as we can so work can begin.”