A RESIDENT fighting to get alleyways gated to stop anti-social behaviour is urging neighbours to join the scheme.

Lynn Bennett-Smith is canvassing support to install the gates across the alleys which back onto Sherwood Park Primary and Blackfen Girls' School, Blackfen.

But although the majority of residents are backing the plan, around 10 residents have still not given their agreement.

And this could endanger the whole project.

Putting gates across alleyways is backed by Bexley's Community Safety Partnership (CSP) as a means of stopping flytipping and youth disorder.

Once the gates are installed only residents have keys to gain access to garage areas or the rear of their homes.

But each set of gates has to get the backing of all the residents, who also have to put up part of the money to pay for them.

Mrs Bennett-Smith said: "We had a terrible time last summer. One woman had eggs thrown at her while trying to have a barbecue in her back garden. Another neighbour had her windows smashed. We had graffiti scrawled on our garage wall."

The Sherwood Park Avenue resident added young people use the alleyways to get into gardens and the schools' grounds.

She said: "I have three young children. I look after an elderly mother and my husband and I have stressful jobs but we cannot relax in our garden in the summer.

"People are being intimidated in their own homes. We pay nearly £1,200 a year in council tax and we deserve some quality of life."

Mrs Bennett-Smith says getting the support of the last few residents is proving an uphill struggle but without it they may not get the gates or may have to pay a lot more for them.

A CSP spokesman says it is aware of problems in the area.

She said: "Many of the residents are making efforts to install alleygates to permanently resolve the problems and the partnership is currently helping them.

"Often one of the problems is not all residents agree to gating off alleyways and the local community officer, PC Will Dann, will be working with residents in the hope of getting them all to agree and to see the benefits for the whole community."