York woman Ruth Wilks has suffered for years at the hands of vandals.

MATTHEW WOODCOCK looks at what she has been forced to put up with.

A YOUTH calmly walks into a driveway and urinates against a car, watched by a large group of other teenagers.

He then returns - with a hooded friend - and breaks into the shed to steal furniture.

It is just another "normal" day at the home of Ruth Wilks.

Mrs Wilks has caught the yobbish behaviour on her own CCTV camera installed outside her home in Monkton Road.

She took the desperate measure after suffering nearly five years of abuse from up to 50 teenagers who hang around at the back of her house because it is opposite a popular youth club, The 68 Centre - although she does not believe they attend the centre.

Thousands of pounds of damage has been inflicted on her property - her car has been smashed up more than a dozen times.

But she reacted with fury when police chiefs told her they could not use the camera footage because of its inferior quality.

"All they have to do is sit and wait at my house - they would soon catch them," said Mrs Wilks, who has bravely spoken out in a desperate attempt to get something done.

She says her shed windows have been boarded-up for nearly four years - but housing chiefs refuse to replace them.

"The amount of damage they have done to my house and property is unbelievable," she told the Evening Press. "It's got to the stage now where I can't get anything done."

"My other neighbours are also suffering and many of them are elderly," said Mrs Wilks.

"Some of the language the kids use is appalling and a few of them are only ten-years-old.

"I'm convinced it's a gang who don't actually go to the 68 Centre but just hang around outside there on a night. Their behaviour is absolutely appalling and I've had enough.

"I've reported them to the police loads of times, but no one has ever been caught."

Inspector David Porter, who has himself attended an incident at the house involving the gang, said he sympathised with Mrs Wilks's plight and had referred her situation to the police community team.

"I recommended that the consideration of work being done to secure her property at its borders with the adjacent path/waste land be discussed with York Council in a partnership approach," he said.

Police said the video was enhanced to make the picture of the yobs clearer, but it was deemed not good

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enough to supply to Crimestoppers for general circulation.

Chief Inspector Andy Bell, of York police, said: "We circulated the images round store detectives and other people but no-one could identify the youths. The inquiry is not closed by any means and we would encourage anyone who recognises them to come forward.

"There are times when we have to prioritise where we send our officers." Anyone with information should phone York police on 0845 6060247.

A spokeswoman for City of York Council said records going back to 2001 showed there were no requests by Mrs Wilks for repairs to be made to her windows. "We would urge Mrs Wilks to get in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can arrange for repair work to be carried out," she said.

Vandals' reign of terror:

SOME of the ways vandals have made Ruth's life a misery:

Stones and other missiles being thrown at her windows

Her porch repeatedly broken into

Garden ornaments and furniture being stolen and smashed

Youths urinating against her wall and throwing beer cans around

Constant verbal abuse

Updated: 10:02 Monday, January 17, 2005