TEENAGERS wielding catapults are making life a misery for people in a quiet street.

Several back windows in Maple Street, Sheerness, have been smashed by stones and the youths are also said to be terrorising swans in the nearby canal.

One resident, Christine Dunn, said: “I only had double glazing installed in August and now they have smashed one of the windows. I am sure it was a catapult because it looks like a bullet hole in the glass and I have found lots of loose stones in the garden below.”

Another resident, a 78-year-old pensioner who preferred not to be identified for fear of reprisals, visited the Sheerness Times Guardian office with a bag of about 100 stones he said he had gathered from his patio.

He said: “The youths are aged about 14 and they have been using their catapults most nights on the canal bank for about a fortnight.

“They have smashed the streetlight and something has just got to be done. Some of us have reported the incidents to the police but others are just too scared to report it. They are frightened out of their lives.”

Sheerness East Police Community Support Officer( PCSO) Terence Hanlon is carrying out a number of house-to-house inquiries.

Patrols along with PCSO Hanlon are also taking part in a number of intelligence-led operations to catch any offenders responsible for the damage.

He said: “We are taking this matter very seriously. Criminal damage of any kind will not be tolerated and I would encourage anyone with information about the recent incidents in Maple Street to contact the Sheerness Neighbourhood Team.”

* The number to ring is 01795 584065 or email island.neighbourhood@kent.pnn.police.uk