A UK town is being overrun by a gang of masked youths who are smashing shop windows and leaving locals petrified. The thugs have been running amok throughout Feltham, west London, for over a year and residents are now urging police to do more.

A mob of between 10 and 15 teens are regularly storming the town centre wearing balaclavas and carrying knives. Locals say they have raided shops, smashed windows, fly-tipped and threatened innocent bystanders during their spree of law-breaking since the start of 2025. Despite reporting incidents to the Metropolitan Police, residents claim the force has failed to stop the young yobs.

“We get a lot of trouble here and it has really escalated over the last year,” Colin Martin, manager of the British Heart Foundation shop located on the High Street in Feltham, tells the Express. “There’s a gang of around 10 kids, who we always recognise, who ride their bikes into the shop and smash furniture.

“If we take a mattress off a bed to give it to the customer, they’ll jump on slats to break it. They’ve also come in and thrown glasses and started fights.”

According to Mr Martin, the Greggs bakery further down the High Street is targeted daily while the nearby Nisa Local store has also been the victim of thefts and vandalism. As well as installing new CCTV cameras, staff in the British Heart Foundation store have recently started wearing body-worn cameras.

“The kids are so brazen they actually wave at the cameras”, the 48-year-old adds. “They don’t care at all about what happens. They’re all local kids and they dress in all black with ski masks. They steal from Greggs almost every day but nothing is being done.”

During our visit to Feltham, which has a population of around 30,000 people, shop workers and local residents claimed that the Metropolitan Police are not doing enough to prevent crime in the area. When approached by the Express, the force insisted local officers are working to enforce orders and reduce crime in the area.

Mr Martin explains: “We call the police but it’s just become a data-gathering exercise. They take CCTV and we get a crime reference but nothing really happens. Action needs to be taken otherwise nothing is going to happen.”

Feltham’s Subway branch, also on the High Street, has been subject to a number of issues in recent times. As well as reports of youths stealing food and drinks, the sandwich shop has also had its windows smashed and counters badly damaged.

Abeta Calderin, who works in the Subway, says: “It’s been very bad here and it’s scary for us. The children have come in wearing masks and stolen drinks, threatened the staff and even smashed the window.”

She adds: “The issue is they just aren’t getting punished for what they do. So they’ll just keep doing it. We phone the police but nothing seems to happen. They did stop causing trouble for a while but they’ve started again.”

The town centre sits in the shadow of the notorious Feltham Young Offender Institution. An inspection previously found that HMP Feltham A, which holds teenagers between 15 and 18 who are on remand or have been convicted, had the highest levels of violence of any prison in England and Wales.

According to the latest crime figures for the area, a total of 102 incidents were reported to police across Feltham North in December 2025. Meanwhile, a further 72 incidents were reported across the Hanworth Park area, which covers the High Street and south of the town.

In Feltham North, there were 44 reported violent and sexual offences, 21 reports of anti-social behaviour, six drug offences, five reported burglaries, and two reports of criminal damage and arson. In Hanworth Park, there were 34 reported violent and sexual offences, 19 cases of alleged anti-social behaviour, and three reports of possession of weapons in December.

Shop owner ‘might leave’ town due to crime

Located on Hounslow Road, just out of Feltham town centre, is Sam’s House Clearance. The shop, which sells vintage and second hand items, has been operating for 27 years but its owner, Sam Gragousian, is now considering leaving the area due to the increase in crime.

The 69-year-old tells the Express: “It’s become terrible in the last two years really. It’s just all the time now and it’s not getting any better.”

Pointing out of his shop window, Mr Gragousian adds: “Just the other day there was someone stood out there with a knife in the middle of the day. Both the shops next to me have also had their windows smashed recently. It’s disgusting.

“I pay my bills, my council tax and everything but the council and the police don’t do anything. So what do we do? I’m thinking about moving away.”

According to the shop owner, it’s often the same group of offenders that loiter around his shop “for hours” while drinking on the street. During our visit, he walked us around the corner from his shop, to Nursery Close, where the street is covered with piles of rubbish, including empty beer cans and old mattresses.

Meanwhile, the Multistar Superstore, located next to Sam’s House Clearance, was raided by youths just four months ago. Mr Gragousian explained how kids smashed the window of the store and threatened customers with a knife.

We went into the store and saw a large TV showing eight CCTV cameras near the checkout. However, the shop worker, who did not wish to be named, told us that even the presence of multiple cameras is not enough to deter the youths.

A similar incident was also reported on Hounslow Road just a month ago. Mr Gragousian said his friend’s house was broken into and the suspects stole his car.

Locals scared to go out after dark

The situation in Feltham has left some residents petrified. Two women told the Express that they avoid parts of the town at certain times of the day.

Chinu Kauy, 22, has been living in the area since 2020 and has noticed an increase in crime during this time. She says the youths continue to wreak havoc without any punishment.

“I see things happen around here all the time. It seems as though there’s no punishment or consequences for the kids who commit crimes,” she says. “They don’t have the basic sense of how to behave and seem to get away with it.

“I find the behaviour really upsetting. I often feel quite intimidated coming into the town as they can be really aggressive. They move around town in groups riding bikes which isn’t nice when you’re a young woman. I actually avoid certain parts after 8pm every day as I know how bad it can be.”

Similarly, Cristina Mandres, who was sat on a bench just off Feltham High Street, says she often avoids the town centre. The 50-year-old, who is originally from Romania, explains: “There’s definitely a lot of issues around here. It can be intimidating to walk around by yourself sometimes.

“I think more needs to be done with these sort of issues. It just seems to be getting worse all the time and it isn’t nice.”

There has been an increased presence of police officers and security guards in the town in recent months. We noticed a number of officers patrolling the area during our visit as well as designated guards in shops.

One security guard, patrolling The Longford Centre, tells us that more is being done to stamp out incidents. However, he acknowledges that youth anti-social behaviour remains a prevalent issue in the town.

“The kids ride around on their electric bikes and Lime Bikes to cause trouble to the people. They steal from the market, throw eggs at the shops, smash windows.

“They just destroy the peace in the whole area which affects everybody. We get elderly people come into the town but the kids misbehave with them and intimidate them.

“It’s always the same kids. Recently, we had to tell a group to take their balaclavas off as they always ride around on their bikes wearing them.”

The guard, who did not wish to be named, adds: “We’ve had to extend security in the town now. There’s a security guard in Greggs every day and they’ve installed security cameras. Hopefully this makes a difference.”

Concerns raised by local people

As well as the issues raised by residents during our visit to Feltham, locals have set up a Change.org petition for more to be done to tackle crime in the town. The petition, titled “Address Anti-Social Behaviour in Feltham”, currently has just short of 1,000 signatures.

It reads: “Living in Feltham, I have watched with growing concern as a group of teenagers have consistently engaged in acts of anti-social behavior, harassment, and even criminal damage. This is not a problem affecting a distant neighborhood; it touches the very community I call home. As a parent, with children and loved ones who roam these streets, the escalating danger is alarming. Every day, locals like myself open social media to see yet another distressing account of this group’s actions. Peaceful days in Feltham have become rare, swapped for anxiety and disorder.

“The impact on our community is profound. Residents are becoming fearful to enjoy our parks, shop in local stores, or simply walk down the street without the lurking threat of encountering this group. Their behaviour has transcended mere teenage mischief and wandered into a very real threat to our communal safety and well-being.”

Meanwhile, the Feltham Community 2.0 Facebook group, which has around 19,000 members, sees regular posts from concerned residents. A number have flagged serious incidents over the last year.

Elisa Bradford said in September: “Another day, another attack by these horrible kids who spend their time terrorising people on the high street. Today, they targeted a woman with her child.” She added: “Sadly, even with people stepping in, these kids carried on harassing her and even threw racial slurs. Absolutely unacceptable.”

Zohaib Haxxan Chaudhary said on December 31: “Last evening outside Subway Feltham, a group of teenagers was seen bullying two men. They first knocked over one man’s bike and then started throwing a Sprite can and hitting another man’s helmet.”

Likewise, Roxana Pandele said on December 10: “Minutes ago the same group of teenagers assaulted a person near Greggs. Well done to the parents. I am out of words!”

Culture of crime bred from lack of funding and dysfunctional upbringings

Reverend Paul Williamson, the former priest of St George’s Church, has worked with children in Feltham since 1989 and now chairs St George’s Youth Club. The charity provides free and supervised activites for young people in a bid to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Over the years, Revd Williamson, who has raised around £3 million for the charity since its inception, has helped children from a range of backgrounds. He has also seen a number of serious incidents in the area, including stabbings, racial abuse and drug dealing.

“I’ve seen some appalling things that you couldn’t put in print”, the 77-year-old says. “We’ve had terrible racial and sexually-charged incidents and issues with lads getting involved in county lines drug dealing.

“There are a group of young people that think it’s clever to be abusive. I stopped them pushing an elderly man with a walking stick who was trying to get on a bus.”

He adds: “We had one incident where kids stopped by our church to sell drugs. They would carry a bell and ring it to tell people they were carrying drugs.

“There’s this culture where they think it’s clever to be part of a gang. We had a 19-year-old involved in drugs who was stabbed near the church just two January’s ago.”

Revd Williamson believes the problem runs deeper, as many of the children in the area are the product of their dysfunctional upbringings. He is also calling for more youth work funding.

“You’ve got to remember that a lot of these children come from broken families. The kids don’t know where they belong and they have no guidance,” he explains.

“It’s a downward spiral from here as they’re stuck on benefits and expecting to be given everything. They don’t have any moral standards as they don’t have a moral compass.”

According to Mr Williamson, there has been no youth work funded by Hounslow Council for “the best part of 20 years”. “This is at least two generations of children that have missed out on support,” he adds.

Concerns over police response

Concerns have previously been raised over the Metropolitan Police’s handling of crime in Feltham. Last November, the force closed an assault investigation after just three weeks which caused the family of the victim to offer their own £1,000 reward for information.

The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered life-changing injuries after being attacked at a house in Bedfont Lane. However, police stopped their investigation as there “was not enough evidence to locate the suspects and the case was closed pending any further evidence coming to light”.

In response to locals exasperated complaints, Labour Councillor Pritam Grewal, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Customer Experience and Enforcement at Hounslow Council, says: “I understand that some residents and businesses are concerned. Hounslow is a low-crime borough, but I want to be absolutely clear – no level of crime is acceptable and no one should feel unsafe in their community.

“We take all reports of crime and anti-social behaviour seriously and continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to ensure issues are followed up and tackled effectively.

“Youth anti-social behaviour is a complex problem, often involving vulnerable people with a complicated set of needs and circumstances and there isn’t a single quick fix to this issue. That’s why we’re bringing in a new Enforcement Team to help tackle anti-social behaviour and provide community reassurance.

“Alongside that, our long‑term community‑led work, includes early support and engagement with young people and their families. Just this week, we provided a space in Feltham Town Centre for youth charity Rise and Thrive to provide support for local young people aged 11-15.”

Superintendent James Rawlinson, who leads policing for the Metropolitan Police in West London, said: “Neighbourhood policing teams in Hounslow have continued to focus on town centre locations, including Feltham, to tackle theft, anti-social behaviour and associated crime. Between June 2025 and January 2026 this activity resulted in 198 arrests and the successful securing of 35 Criminal Behaviour Orders against prolific repeat offenders, including six obtained in the last two months.

“Officers remain committed to enforcing these orders effectively. One individual is currently being prosecuted for more than 12 breaches of their Criminal Behaviour Order, demonstrating our determination to safeguard the local community.

“Where there is sufficient evidence, local officers investigate all reported offences. Recently, following footage circulated on social media, officers arrested eight people in connection with disorder on a bus in Feltham. Enquiries remain ongoing.

“Neighbourhood policing teams will continue to work with partners and the community to reduce crime, address anti-social behaviour and keep Hounslow’s town centres safe.”