77420-21THEY are a baffling sight that have perplexed residents. Are they a sign of children innocently playing about or could they be something altogether more sinister like a gangland signal that drugs are being sold in the neighbourhood?

For the past few days residents in the Manchester Road area of Swindon have spotted two different pairs of training shoes hanging from telephone lines quite near each other.

One set of trainers was spotted on the junction of Graham Street and the other pair sighted just a hundred yards down Elmina Road at the junction of Rosebery Street.

In Los Angeles, trainers, or sneakers as they are called over there, are a common sight hanging over telephone lines and it is generally accepted that this is a sign of gang and drug activity.

There have also been sightings across the rest of the United States, including Baltimore, Chicago and Cincinnati.

But there are some people who say the practice has been adopted by children to annoy the police and scare residents.

Factory worker Ken Sinclair, 48, of Elmina Road, said: "If they are there to signify drugs, they should be removed as soon as possible.

"You do spot a lot of drug activity and prostitution activity in this area so they could well signify something.

"When I first spotted them, I did think it was unusual, as it must have been a hell of a job getting them up there.

"It could be children messing about, but they could have a drugs or gang territory meaning. They could even have something to do with the prostitution in this area."

And this isn't the first time that the phenomenon has surfaced in Swindon.

Last year in July, two pairs of trainers were spotted in Swindon Road, Lower Stratton, and in March, 2004, a pair was spotted hanging up a lamppost in Roundhills Mead, Highworth.

Swindon police have confirmed that no reports concerning this had been received by the drugs squad.

But in the US it is claimed that the trainers are placed there to symbolise an area where drugs can be bought not from a particular house but from anywhere in the street below.

The two sets of trainers could mark the boundaries of where the dealers prey.

Christine Gray, 23, of Elmina Road, said: "I spotted them about two weeks first of all and I did think they were strange.

"I don't think this area has any more drugs going on than any other place in Swindon. You see kids mucking around a lot and there are often youths doing something a bit dodgy in the area, but I wouldn't say drugs were a major problem.

"It's probably just kids mucking about."

Jamie Hill