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We live in UK ‘gang capital' where anywhere beginning with ‘P' is no-go zone…gun-toting drug lords terrorise our estate
IN the shadow of an imposing ten-storey tower block, a young mum emerges pushing a pram, nervously checking the paths either side of her before making a hurried beeline for the park.
This is Penhill in Swindon, a notorious estate which has long been tarnished by its high crime rates, drug raids and a growing gangland culture that the Wiltshire town has become infamous for.
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It's one of the 25 'trailblazer neighbourhoods' identified across the country by Chancellor Rachel Reeves which is set to receive up to £20million over the next decade to improve its community, libraries, facilities and general infrastructure.
But many of its residents feel no amount of cash will fix its problems.
One mum, who asked not to be named, said: 'It's good that the Government want to improve Penhill, but we're living in mouldy homes surrounded by drug dealers on every street, and that's probably never going to change.'
Life-long resident Fiona Woodward, 68, adds: 'You know what they say about avoiding anywhere that begins with a 'P' in Swindon?'
It was a local anecdote oft repeated when The Sun visited the estate this week, referring to Penhill and nearby council estates Pinehurst and Parks.
Aaron Jacobs was visiting his mum, who moved to the estate almost 20 years ago.
'Penhill's rep for having gangs is because there'll always be angst between Penhill and Pinehurst,' he explained.
'You do see kids hanging around in gangs, but there's not a lot else for them to do here.'
Alarmingly, some residents say this lack of purpose is causing children as young as 10 to be groomed as drug dealers.
Another man, who gave his name as John Craig, said: 'The biggest issue on the estate is the amount of drug-dealing.
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"The youth club was cut, and the football pitch rents for £80 per game, which most people can't afford.
'This leaves the kids with nothing to do, and as a result they are groomed as drug dealers.
"It sounds great getting a grant from the Government, but this is the real problem.'
Escalating violence
The 1950s estate is a mile square, housing 11,000 residents, with three ten-storey tower blocks, and is one of the most deprived areas in the region in terms of household income, quality of health, life expectancy, child poverty and level of education.
Violent crime is also an escalating issue. In April 2023 two men were arrested after a 17-year-old boy was shot in the head in Penhill, leaving him with life-changing injuries.
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And last year Marlon Barnes, 20, of Ramsbury Avenue, Penhill was jailed for six years and six months after admitting being in possession of a firearm and running a local class A drugs operation.
Most recent crime statistics for Penhill show that in April alone there were 95 crimes reported, with 50 of those being of a violent or sexual nature.
There were 11 reports of anti-social behaviour, seven public order offences and 27 'other', including drugs offences.
The estate has two primary schools, two churches, a Morrisons Local, a charity shop, a fish and chip shop and a pub, the Deer's Leap, serving a small handful of customers the lunchtime we visited.
It is also adjacent to a 100-acre nature reserve, Seven Fields, where just last month police and firefighters were called to a blazing car, thought to be stolen and then set alight by joyriders next to the wooden frame of a zip line.
Despite the deprivation of the area a number of houses look well-maintained, while others have overgrown grass and furniture left to rot in their gardens.
Pensioner Fiona says more needs to be done for young people in Penhill who have 'nothing to do' so find 'other ways to entertain themselves', often resulting in turning to crime.
'We do have problems with crime, we've had a lot of problems with gangs in the past,' she says.
'There's some anti-social behaviour, some people who cause trouble, but the problem is some parents weren't brought up well, and they don't know how to look after their kids properly or know what they're up to.
'There's a lot of space, but the council don't look after it. There's even one resident who started cutting the grass himself because the council didn't bother.
'I've lived here all my life, and it has changed compared to what it used to be like.
'But we do have a sense of community and if anything happens, like the house fires, we all come together.'
In January the community rallied to raise thousands of pounds for terminal cancer patient Lisa Lansdown and her partner Gary Parsons, after their home in Penhill was ruined by a fire, leaving them and their two children homeless, with only the clothes on their backs.
Lack of opportunity
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Local shopkeeper Richard Sayles works in the local Premier newsagents, and agrees young people are suffering from a lack of opportunity.
He says: 'The money should be invested in improving the security around the estate and providing more opportunities for the kids.
'There are parks for the little kids but not much for older kids to do.
'The Community Centre has gone downhill, it used to run a youth club, but it only opens on Fridays now to run the food bank.
'They also closed one of the parks. With nothing to do there's a lot of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, so if some of the money was invested in CCTV I think that would help.
'Crime is a problem here, the kids are bored, so most importantly the grant needs to be reinvested into the community centre.'
Penhill Community Church pastor David Childs-Clarke previously told the BBC: "One of the reasons people struggle in Penhill is because there's a reputation associated with being in one of the areas beginning with P.
"People in Penhill often think of themselves as being considered less than other parts of Swindon - as a church we do try and counter that message.
"Anything that the government can do to help the reputation of an area will do something positive, to help people with their sense of identity."
Other residents called for the return of a 'bobby on the beat' local police officer to tackle the growing issue of county lines in Swindon.
Jim Grant, the leader of Swindon council's Labour group, previously expressed concern over the "gang warfare" and increasingly common 'life-threatening stabbings, large-scale public disorder and ongoing damage to property' in Penhill and Pinehurst, branding it a "tragedy for the town".
Wiltshire Police carried out a number of raids on properties on the estate in a major drugs crackdown last year after reports of suspicious behaviour from worried locals.
In November Lewis Morton, 23, of Fairford Crescent, Penhill, was jailed for a string of serious offences, including requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and supplying Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine.
But there is hope Reeves' cash injection, expected to start in April 2026, will 'boost growth' and 'deliver real change people can see on their doorstep'.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said communities like Penhill had "been starved of investment and left behind" for too long.
The Sun has reached out to Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police for comment.
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