{"id":358784,"date":"2025-08-20T06:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T06:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/358784\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T06:52:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T06:52:13","slug":"the-pretty-uk-seaside-village-where-locals-have-been-scared-for-years-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/358784\/","title":{"rendered":"The pretty UK seaside village where locals \u2018have been scared for years\u2019 | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Isle of Sheppey: Police at the scene of a man’s death<\/p>\n

People living in a pretty seaside village revealed they “have been scared for years” after the death of a man rocked their community. Leysdown-on-Sea, on the Isle of Sheppey on the northern coast of Kent, might be ideal for beachgoers and nature lovers, but residents there say they are \u201cscared, frustrated, and losing faith that anything will change\u201d.<\/p>\n

On the evening of Sunday, August 10, the village of just over 930 inhabitants was rocked by the death of Alexander Cashford. The 49-year-old was found dead<\/a> in the Warden Bay Road area following an altercation, and a 16-year-old girl, as well as two boys, aged 14 and 15, were charged with murder.\u00a0The teenagers will be on trial in January.<\/p>\n

\"Girl,<\/p>\n

Residents of Leysdown-on-Sea said they’re ‘scared and frustrated’ (Image: Tony Kershaw \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

\"Alexander<\/p>\n

Alexander Cashford was pronounced dead at the scene on the Isle of Sheppey (Image: Family handout)<\/p>\n

Speaking to\u00a0The Express,<\/a> a business owner who often drives in the village says he \u201chasn\u2019t got out of this car in Leysdown-On-Sea for over a year\u201d out of fear.<\/p>\n

Putting the sudden rise in antisocial behaviour down to \u201ca change in season for the caravan parks\u201d the local says a death in the area wasn\u2019t a surprise \u201cin the slightest\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The business owner says five years ago he regarded the area a safe place, however \u201cnow he would say the opposite\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Leysdown-on-Sea,<\/p>\n

Leysdown-on-Sea (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong> Boy says \u2018I\u2019ve done him\u2019 as man dies after being \u2018beaten with rocks’ <\/a><\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cOver the last few years, anti-social behaviour and crime have increased massively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been scared for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Locals living in Leysdown-On-Sea ‘have been scared for years’ (Image: Stanley Murphy-Johns\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

Wishing not to be named for safety reasons, he says he now doesn\u2019t get out of his car in Leysdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t stopped and got out of the car in Leysdown for over a year. I drive through to get to my business and then leave again after\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

Often hailed as a hidden gem in Kent, Leysdown-On-Sea boasts beautiful beaches, but sadly, the area is facing more and more crime.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for residents, \u201cdrugs and vandalism have become part of the backdrop to everyday life,\u201d whilst \u201cnuisance riders roar up and down our roads,\u201d says Conservative Councillor Tara Noe for the Sheppey East ward.<\/p>\n

Tara tells the Express<\/a> that the sudden rise in antisocial behaviour has \u201cbeen impossible to ignore\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Locals are ‘scared, frustrated, and losing faith that anything will change’ (Image: Stanley Murphy-Johns\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

She says: \u201cWe have always had our share of problems on this end of the island, but over the past year, the rise in antisocial behaviour has been impossible to ignore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are not just concerned \u2014 they are scared, frustrated, and losing faith that anything will change.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents tell me they no longer see police on the streets. Reports are made, but too often, nothing seems to come of them. Meanwhile, the problems grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrugs and vandalism have become part of the backdrop to everyday life. In the past year, one of our most cherished local caf\u00e9s has suffered serious damage not once, but twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

For locals ‘drugs and vandalism have become part of the backdrop to everyday life’ (Image: Stanley Murphy-Johns\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

The concerned councillor is asking the Labour government \u201chow many more crimes have to be committed\u201d before they take notice.<\/p>\n

She says: \u201cThis is a small corner of the island. We should not be making the news for all the wrong reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be known for all we offer as a tourist area, not a place to avoid. And it is not just us. Anti-social behaviour is rising across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that serious incidents are happening here, in such a small place, is a warning. The problem is deepening.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are doing their part \u2014 reporting incidents, speaking out, trying to reclaim our streets. But without visible enforcement, without real consequences for those who break the law, the cycle continues.”<\/p>\n

Got a similar story? Contact me: lauran.otoole@reachplc.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Isle of Sheppey: Police at the scene of a man’s death People living in a pretty seaside village…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[22049,126247,495,126249,126246,126248,1619,12,19290,9180,16,35650,1259,37265,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-358784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"category-united-kingdom","9":"tag-anti-social-behaviour","10":"tag-caravan-parks","11":"tag-kent","12":"tag-kent-murder","13":"tag-leysdown-on-sea","14":"tag-leysdown-on-sea-murder","15":"tag-murder","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-seaside-town","18":"tag-towns","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-uk-crime-news","21":"tag-uk-news","22":"tag-uk-news-latest","23":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115059775683806100","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}