A Welsh town is struggling with anti-social behaviour by badly behaved youths. According to one resident, people are living in an environment of fear, as WalesOnline takes a look at the issues being faced in Glynneath. Amputee Stuart Underwood had put all his money into his motorhome. So to find it in the state it was when he went to check on it was 'devastating'. Unfortunately, it's just one symptom in a town beset by problems with anti-social behaviour. Glynneath is a small Welsh town, over 10 miles from Neath. For the most part, it's quiet, but residents have spoken of a spate of anti-social behaviour in the area by some youths. The issue was brought to the forefront when 58-year-old Stuart's motorhome was vandalised in a council-run car park outside his retirement home on Thursday, February 27. Stuart who lives in Maeshir, said there was an environment of fear that some residents were living in due to these incidents of anti-social behaviour around it. He said: "I have a motor home, I don't live in it. It's parked outside the building. I had a friend around on Wednesday evening. We went down for food, and we came back and the van was okay." He added: "I got up on Thursday morning... and someone had sprayed red paint all over it, and they put something on the windows which seems to have done some damage to the plastic windows on the side of the motorhome. It's all I've got, and they've damaged it badly." Stay informed on everything Neath Port Talbot by signing up to our newsletter here Mr Underwood reported it to the police on a Thursday morning, but said they arrived on the Saturday evening. He said: "Whoever was in the control room expected me to go around knocking on doors to see if anybody had a ring doorbell, which might have seen what happened. That's their job, surely their job, they're investigating, it should be their job, not mine." Mr Underwood is without one of his legs and has mobility issues added: "I'm absolutely devastated. Just about every penny I had, had gone into that motorhome. It cost me a lot of money to buy and over the last 18 months, if it hadn't been for bad luck I wouldn't have had any. I have had to spend a lot of money on that thing to keep it on the road, in fact to get it through to MOT just recently has cost me £2,000, and for someone to come and just spray red paint all over it, it's devastating." He explained how there had been anti-social behaviour taking place in the car park where his motorhome is parked for some time now, adding: "There's been a lot of people, a lot of kids. I mean they're kids, I do feel sorry for them because there's not a lot for them to do around here, but there's a lot of kids in the car park." Mr Underwood added: "Unfortunately for the children around here in the village, there's nothing for them to do. When I was younger... there was always stuff for us to do and unfortunately kids are more interested in that thing you've got in your hand [ a smartphone] than they are in doing what we used to, which is play in the streets. "So they've got nothing to do, there's no youth clubs or anything around for them, everything is too expensive. I don't know, they make a noise, they shout, they scream, they play football, whatever, but it's just because they've got nothing else to do. So they use the car park as a nice open space to do whatever they're gonna do." Mr Underwood said some residents on the ground floor had also heard knocking on their windows. He added that due to these incidents, some people were worried to step out of their homes after dark. He said: "We don't go out at night. I don't feel safe going out at night. I have mobility problems. As I said, I'm missing a leg. I don't feel safe enough to go out in the evenings after 6 o 'clock. "I can't speak for other residents... but there's a lady here... and she has had problems with kids knocking on the windows of her flat because she lives in a downstairs flat. Kids knocking on the windows. Nobody goes out of here after six at night." Councillor Simon Anthony Knoyle, who represents Glynneath Central and East at Neath Port Talbot Council said he was aware of the incident, but added that he "absolute refute[s]" the claim that there is "not a lot to do in Glynneath." In a statement, he said of the vandalism to the motorhome: "I saw this on social media and spoke with our local PC who explained that he was looking into this. "The Town Councillors and I in Glynneath have excellent relationships with our PCSOs who are active in the area and will deal with things when reported to them. The difficulty we have is that incidents are not immediately reported to the South Wales Police through the various channels for doing so. "Residents will take to social media and expect things to be done as a result of posting instead of reporting formally through to the SWP. This is a big problem in Glynneath and across the wider NPT community following conversations I have with my county Cllr colleagues. "The issue that there is not a lot to do in Glynneath I absolutely refute, we have several youth clubs run by local organisations and through our youth service from an NPT perspective. The football and rugby clubs are very active with training and matches through the weekend and on weekends with children from the age of 6 to 16 and youths playing in these teams. There are also local groups such as the Scouts and netball in the area, a community boxing club in Cwmgwrach, we also very lucky to have a leisure sentre with a swimming pool in Glynneath. "The town council has obtained funding and is currently in the construction phase of a new £817,000 project in our Welfare Park for new toddler, teenager play areas together with new tennis courts and a MUGA for the children and youths of Glynneath to access. We have recently invested over £100,000 in a new skate park at the leisure sentre. We have children play areas at Ynys Y Nos Avenue, Glynneath RFC, the development at our Welfare Park, the skate park, dynamic play area and playground at the leisure centre and a recently completed scheme at Cwmgwrach also." But it is not just Mr Underwood who reported seeing incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area. Shopkeepers in High Street, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation have also reported similar issues. "Gangs of kids" intimidating people One shopkeeper told WalesOnline about an incident that took place at their business. They said: "A few months ago, my sister was working here for me and a group of kids came in, they went into the ... the back of the shop, and started throwing things around. When she went in to tell them off, she had a load of abuse from one particular child but this child isn't even from this village, he's from a neighbouring village. The other children were fine and apologetic the next day, but it's just this particular one child that was very upsetting at the time." The shopkeeper did not report the incident to the police. They added that they did not see many officers patrolling the area now, adding: "There used to be, well I would say up to about a year ago, that the police were always patrolling, especially after school, but you don't tend to see them now." They added that things had calmed down in the town since Christmas. "I do hear things like that [other instances of anti-social behaviour], but that hasn't happened to me, and I haven't experienced that. But, I think it's calmed down a little bit around, I think there is a bit of a change." However, they said they still felt 'nervous', as they explained: "[It's] very, very, quiet normally but if you hear a gang of kids shouting or whatever, you do feel a bit nervous, and you just hope that they don't come in." Another shopkeeper who also wished to remain anonymous said: "There's just a lot of gangs of kids intimidating people when they're on their own, vandalising things. One of my customers earlier was saying that where they're building the new park down the road, they had all jumped the fence and they were in there kicking the new park bits and pieces that were in there... It's just general menacing. That's what it is. It's just general menacing." They claimed that the police were never fast enough to act in the area. They claimed: "They never do, I'm afraid. Because I had damage to my car and there was a CCTV camera right by it and I asked the police could they get the number plate of the vehicles that damaged my car and they said nobody was hurt so they wouldn't get involved." The shopkeeper explained that the children were only of an "early comprehensive age." When asked if they had seen a police officer patrolling in the area, both the shopkeeper and a customer laughed at the suggestion, and the former said: "That's the funniest thing I've heard this year. We haven't even got PCSOs in Greenwich." The customer added: "You know, council tax? That's coming up shortly now, we're going to find out how much we're going to pay. In the council tax, there's a precept for the police, which we have to pay. I don't think we get any value for money." Another resident from Park Avenue, who wished to only be known as Mrs Davies, told WalesOnline: "Glynneath is and has been for many years, a lovely place to live. It's has a lovely community and there is everything you could need in one small place which many other small towns could not boast. "However, over the last few years, anti-social behaviour has absolutely been on the rise and from my point of view, it is driven by the town's children. They are out of control. They roam the streets at all hours and all weathers. They have hoods up, screaming, shouting, banging on people's windows and the language used is terrible. Their parents should be ashamed of them." She alleged that the Welfare Park, which was undergoing a redevelopment, had become a "magnet" for gatherings. Mrs Davies said: "I live on Park Avenue looking over the Welfare Park and this has become a magnet for their gatherings. Again, shouting, screaming at all hours - even at night. What people with young children must think is beyond me." She added: "The Welfare Park has been undergoing a big makeover which is lovely, but again, the kids have no respect and are in there jumping and breaking the fencing owned by the contractor, wheeling each other around in wheelbarrows, smashing brushes to pieces - disgusting behaviour. "They do not deserve this lovely park as they will only destroy it. Rather than ploughing hundreds of thousands of pounds into this, the council should be funding youth groups and projects - once again local government is not dealing with the root cause of the issue. What good are a few shiny swings and slides when the local youths aren't being treated to act with respect and care for others." Councillor Knoyle said he was aware of the reports of anti-social behaviour at the construction site but that nothing had been damaged. He said: "There have been reports of ASB at the construction site for the new development within the Welfare Park but NOTHING has been damaged or vandalised there. "The children are curious to what is going on and are eager to use the facilities. The official opening of the new park facility will hopefully be within the Easter Holidays this year. In my opinion, the children, youths and residents of Glynneath are very lucky to live in this beautiful part of NPT and we have lots to offer and for people to do in the area." A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesperson said: "We take complaints of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) extremely seriously and wherever we can, will work with our partners to take action. In terms of anti-social behaviour in this area, however, our community safety team has not directly received any complaints, and so we would like to appeal to anyone witnessing ASB to report it to our partners, South Wales Police, via 101 – without official reports it is difficult for partners to take action, and to ensure increased police presence in the area too." 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