GANGS of up to 60 youths are causing mayhem on a Bury estate in the latest spate of teenage disorder.

Residents in the Woodhill Road area of Brandlesholme complain that young people are making their life hell.

One young mother even says she was threatened with rape, while others report rock attacks and intimidating behaviour.

A public meeting is being held on Tuesday where locals, police and council officials will try to tackle the problem, the type of which has caused misery to people living in several areas across the borough.

A special meeting held two weeks ago, chaired by local councillor Yvonne Creswell, heard a catalogue of complaints.

Wrecked

Residents said cars have been stopped by youths, a bus shelter wrecked, and stones thrown. They are worried that some people might take the law into their own hands. Cllr Creswell describes the situation as "horrendous".

"It's intimidating and we have got to do something about it," she said. "We have to help each other and try to sort it out for the sake of the tenants and residents who are suffering. I can understand why people have been up in arms about it."

One terrified 32-year-old resident said a young moped rider threatened to rape her and torch her house.

The mother-of-two confronted him last week when he drove his moped into her car. "About 20 of them surrounded me and began verbally abusing me," she said. "He kept trying to run me over and when I accidentally damaged his number plate that's when he threatened to rape me and burn down my house."

She said the youngsters first began hanging around in the street in April.

"They didn't really cause much offence at first, they were just a bit noisy and dropped litter. I even used to defend them to the other neighbours and remind them that we've all been young."

But over the following months the young people's behaviour got worse.

"They began drinking in the street, sitting on our car bonnets and fighting. They congregate in the road, making cars stop and shining laser pens in the drivers' eyes."

Next Tuesday's meeting starts at 6pm at Woodbank County Primary School.

Inspector Gary Leversedge of Bury Township said: "There is definitely a problem there and we are trying to address it.

"Next week's meeting is aimed at coming up with a strategy to combat that problem."

He would not be drawn on whether the trouble on the estate was greater or lesser than that suffered elsewhere in the borough.

He added, however: "This is not just a police problem. It's also up to youth services and other agencies to come up with a solution to it."

Insp Leversedge said that earlier this week he made a night-time visit to the Woodhill Estate, along with other officers from Whitefield.

Colleague Insp Steve Clark, Bury police's lead officer on youths causing annoyance, is also attempting to address the situation on the estate.

David Chaytor, MP for Bury North, said the scale of the disturbances seemed to be greater than troubles with youths elsewhere.

He said he would raise the matter at his next meeting with the heads of Bury police and Bury Council.

Other problems reported in recent weeks on our pages:

Drunken teenagers running amok at Bolton Road Park in Radcliffe, ripping up trees and fences, smashing glass and leaving the area like a tip.

Gangs in Coronation Road in Radcliffe causing vandalism and threatening traders, who are threatening to shut up shop. Sometimes 30-strong in number, some have been armed with wooden staves.

Traders and residents say they are fed up with incidents of vandalism and intimidation by large gangs on Holcombe Mews shopping precinct.

On a more hopeful front, teenagers met with residents in Greenmount to give their side of the story, following complaints from locals in the summer about youths congregating behind Greenmount United Reformed Church.