Estate 'wasn't dangerous place'
EIGHT years on from the murder, the then Yarborough ward councillors told the Grimsby Telegraph what life was like on the estate, which is now being rebuilt as Freshney Green.
Coun Michael Burnett (Lab) served as a Yarborough ward councillor from 1986 to 2003 and is now a Croft Baker ward councillor.
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Coun Michael Burnett
He admits the former estate "had its problems", but said it wasn't a dangerous place.
"It had its problems but because it was a small estate, they were magnified," he said.
"There was a really good sense of community on the estate, but it did have its problems and as with any other area there were drug issues and alcohol issues.
"It wasn't a dangerous place, but it did have its moments."
Former councillor Jim Tattersdale said the estate was "full of fear" at the time of the murder.
Mr Tattersdale, who represented the ward for the Lib-Dems, said: "Most of the people of the Yarborough estate were decent people, many of them unemployed, some of them may not have been employable, but a gang used to run the Yarborough Estate and if any got in their way they would beat them up.
"All the time there was this feeling of fear. One of the difficulties for kids on the Yarborough Estate was if they went for a job and said that they lived on the Yarborough Estate, they immediately lost out.
"There was nothing wrong with the kids but they got into a position where they didn't matter and then they got into gangs."
3 Comments
by arthur, grimsby
Thursday, June 18 2009, 8:11PM
“obviously these so called councillors never bothered about the yarborough or they wouldnt talk utter rubbish,having lived there all of my life,the community spirit what used to be there was all but dead,due to the trouble happening on there,as everybody closed there eyes to what was going on,especially the council”
by linda, gy
Wednesday, June 17 2009, 1:36PM
“it will always have a name ppl never 4 get i have lived on there 2 and wood never live there again not even in a new house”
by K,P, yarborough
Wednesday, June 17 2009, 8:05AM
“I agree with Mick Burnett, I have lived close to the Yarborough Estate all of my life, and although as with any estate there are some issues, the underlying feelings in the area were not of fear nor have i ever felt it to be dangerous, lets hope that with the new name and changes to the attitudes from people who DON'T live there the preconceptions of the estate will be changed for the better.”