Stephen Greenaway, of Wroughton Ref: 77648-227A RESIDENT who became involved in a row over schoolchildren dropping litter says he felt intimidated by a group of students.

Stephen Greenaway, 54, was at his home in Inverary Road in Wroughton on Friday afternoon, when he heard one of his neighbours asking students from Ridgeway School to stop dropping litter across the road.

Walking to the front of his home, he said he found a group of more than a dozen teenagers across the road, including one with a motorbike, dropping litter and tearing branches off a nearby tree.

Mr Greenaway said that he asked them to stop but they began hurling abuse at him, so he crossed the road and tried to move them on. They then shouted, "assault, assault".

When he returned to his driveway some of the students, and some youths who Mr Greenaway believes are unconnected with the school, crossed the road to the edge of the pavement his home and became threatening.

He said one began shouting at him saying that they would return in a group, while another said he would get his father to come around.

Mr Greenaway said: "I felt very, very intimidated. They were standing just yards from my house shouting abuse, I have never seen anything like it. I had to call the police.

"Four of my children attended the school in previous years but I have never experienced anything like this before.

"In the last two or three years, the problems have got worse, I think the main problem is that these youngsters are so much more confident, they seem to do whatever they want to do."

According to Mr Greenaway, another resident further up the road heard the disturbance and went inside the school to tell a member of staff. A teacher, believed by Mr Greenaway to be a senior member of staff, dealt with the incident.

Christopher Walton, acting head at Ridgeway School, confirmed that an incident took place and that it was being dealt with.

He said: "I was called to deal with an incident at lunchtime involving a boy and a neighbour.

"All appropriate action has been taken, and the parents of the student have been contacted and the incident is now being investigated."

Anthony Osborne