STEPPING up police patrols around an old footpath in Portishead has reduced antisocial behaviour in the area.

Speaking at a recent Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meeting a number of Slade Road residents thanked the police for their action and said it had put an end to much of the late night noise and vandalism they had been experiencing regularly.

Residents in Rippleside, who say they have yet to see a positive outcome, have welcomed the agreement that policing the alleyway which links Slade Road to Downside and Rippleside will remain a priority for the foreseeable future.

In July, fence panels were ripped up and thrown into the garden of a house in Rippleside, just weeks after trees were set alight in the same garden, which borders the trouble-spot path.

Kelly Millerchip, whose parents were victims of the two incidents, said: “This vandalism is really making life a misery for the people affected. We didn’t notice any difference after it was made a PACT priority in May, but after the latest damage there has been an increased police presence and we hope this will make a difference.”

Speaking at the PACT meeting, residents living in other trouble hotspots in the town reported a decline in antisocial behaviour in recent weeks, despite the fine weather which is when it often increases.

In addition to maintaining increased patrols around the Slade Road footpath, the priorities agreed with police at the meeting include continuing high visibility patrols at the Lake Grounds.

The next Portishead PACT meeting will be held in the Wigan Room at the Folk Hall in High Street on September 27 at 7pm. A new chairman is required and police and councillors are appealing for any residents interested in stepping in to the post to attend the meeting.