A SPATE of antisocial behaviour has rocked residents in Mauchline recently, with parents, professionals and even children being affected by thugs seeking to cause havoc in the village.

On Tuesday, June 2, a local fitness instructor was having a PE session with a class full of primary school-aged kids at Beechwood Park when a group of boys, aged around 13, reportedly gathered nearby and started making sexually explicit comments both to the instructor and the children.

The instructor says the gang of youths had alcohol and started smashing some of the glass bottles nearby.

On the same evening, a source told the Chronicle that a woman pushing a pram in the village had stones thrown at her, while two young boys had their electric cars stolen and destroyed. On Tuesday, too, the park at Netherplace Quadrant was trashed, with residents forced to clean up the mess. They say it is not the first time this has happened.

One resident said: “I’ve been in the park for a year and never had any bother until that night. It was around 4pm, not even late, but I had 20 kids there aged between five and 10. A group of boys and a couple of girls too, you could see they were looking to cause trouble. I carried on but then they came down and stood at the side of the hill. I’m not easily shocked but what they were shouting were really sexual explicit comments to me and the kids in the PE group.

“They then went up the hill right beside where we were working. They had bottles of Budweiser, whether they were empty ones or theirs, I don’t know, but they smashed the bottles off the trees.

“I try to be understanding because they have taken a lot of facilities away in Mauchline like the games hall so people may be bored but everyone’s in the same boat.

“You can’t go around destroying the place, you have to take responsibility for your own actions.”

Inspector Julie McLeish at Cumnock Police Station said: “Along with partners, Police Scotland continue to impact on anti social behaviour and we undertake targeted action to disrupt and detect those responsible.

“Our Vibrant Communities colleagues spend a lot of time positively engaging with young people across East Ayrshire providing services such as events, activities and signposting to other community based opportunities and we also work closely with East Ayrshire Council Anti Social Behaviour and Outdoor Services teams with significant results.

“I would encourage anyone who has concerns about antisocial behaviour to report it to Police Scotland or East Ayrshire Council so areas or trends of concern can be recorded and addressed.”