Sally CoxCHIPPENHAM NEWS EXCLUSIVE: A MUM-OF-FOUR has spoken of her fear about a drug-dealing gang she claims is ruling the streets by intimidating its victims into silence.

Sally Cox, 39, of London Road, Chippenham, said she felt compelled to speak out because she is concerned about her family's safety, as well as that of the public.

She said: "I want to stand up for my family and members of the public who are too afraid to speak out."

She claims the gang is responsible for a spree of crimes around Chippenham but victims are too frightened to go to the police.

She said her daughter keeps a bucket of water inside the front door of her flat, where she lives with her young son, because she is frightened the gang would plant a firebomb through the letterbox. She has also installed an alarm system.

Mrs Cox claims the gang includes a mother, sons and cousins who make a living out of drug-dealing and had even been spotted trying to sell drugs at a Chippenham primary school.

She said: "At the end of the day it is all to do with drugs.

"It has got to stop. I don't want this going on. I don't want my kids involved in drugs."

Mrs Cox claims some members of the gang have recently moved from Bristol and London to join relatives who have lived in Chippenham for many years.

Her husband said: "They come from a big city so they think they can do the same here as they did there. It's got to stop.

"My concern is that someone is going to end up dead. If the police don't do something about this they are going to find a body before long."

Mrs Cox said her 20-year-old son was headbutted on the doorstep by one of the gang members and forced into giving him a mobile phone.

She said the gang had also targeted a 14-year-old family friend, smashing up his mini motorbike, offering to pay a reward to anyone who would beat him up and pulling down his trousers to find his mobile phone.

She said: "There are loads of other kids in Chippenham who have been attacked by them but because everyone is too afraid to come forward they can't do anything. Everybody is scared of them."

"A lot of the crimes committed in Chippenham are done by these people. They are well known thieves in Chippenham. Everyone knows about them but there are too many people who won't speak up."

Inspector Neil Bagnall of Chippenham Police said: "Any complaint made to us by members of the public will be investigated and we have processes to deal with people who feel intimidated.

"It's important that those people who suffer crime do bring it to our attention so we can deal with it and we will support those witnesses in every way we can to ensure that those people who would wish to intimidate witnesses do not get away with it. The courts view it very seriously."