A PROTEST petition has been started after a heated public meeting heard how yobs are blighting a Basingstoke neighbourhood.

Residents expressed anger towards the police and Kingfisher Housing Association representatives over what they see as a lack of action when around 70 people attended the public meeting.

Now scores of residents from the Kingsmill area of Cranbourne have signed a petition demanding that something is done to target the anti-social culprits plaguing their community.

The petition was set up by borough councillor Ron Hussey after he was lobbied by local residents. At Tuesday's public meeting at Queen Mary's College, he urged the residents to stand firm as a community, support each other and report crimes to the police.

Cllr Hussey said loutish behaviour around the Kingsmill Road shopping parade has escalated in the last six months.

One woman told the meeting her children are too frightened to go to the shops where, she claimed, eight to 10-year-olds have been accosted, bikes and even a dog have been stolen, and youngsters have been forced to smoke cigarettes.

Angry resident Terry Linehan said he had been a victim of crime many times. He claimed a lot of the problems stem from one group of troublemakers.

"Everybody knows who the problem is," he told the meeting.

Kingfisher's assistant solicitor, Salma Ali, told the audience that the association must work within strict legal constraints and cannot evict tenants without appropriate evidence.

She said: "We need first-hand evidence from people who are suffering. If we have enough evidence we can start court proceedings for eviction, which we have done on other estates."

She urged residents with problems to complete detailed diary sheets and report incidents to the police.

Diary sheets are available at the Alldays convenience store at the Kingsmill Road shopping parade, where hundreds of people have signed the petition calling for action.

Inspector Julian Waller, of Basingstoke police, told the meeting they would increase their profile locally.

Referring to the problems blighting the area, he said: "If it's young people, these are the sons or daughters of people living in the community. Somebody knows who is doing it.

"You are the biggest set of ears and eyes we have and we need you to feed us information. Call 0845 045 4545 and ask for Basingstoke police station."