Failsworth neighbours erupted in cheers Thursday night as councillors voted unanimously to save the alley-gates that have turned a once-notorious crime cut-through into a safe passage.

The victory came minutes before a highways committee was due to scrap the Public Space Protection Order covering Hampton Road, a move that would have removed the two steel gates installed 15 years ago to block drug deals and burglars.

“I was scared stiff,” pensioner Judith Tomlinson-Harrison told the chamber. “I wouldn’t feel safe in my own home if those gates were taken down. Before the gates you’d often hear people at night, and the next day you’d see evidence of drug use. Getting rid of the gates could bring that all back. It’s now safe.”

Council officers had argued the daily unlock-lock routine—carried out by an Oldham First Response Team member—was unsustainable, and warned that permanently locking the gates would trap neighbours with limited mobility. The solution arrived when residents volunteered to take over the duty themselves. Community officer Philip Bonworth announced the last-minute rescue: “A number of residents have come forward who have volunteered to lock and unlock the gate … which would allow the scheme to be used as a cut-through for pedestrians at set hours of the day and restrict potential for anti-social and criminal behaviour at this location.”

---

Source: Read original article