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.

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."