Alley gates on Hexham Road estate: time for action

On Thursday evening I received an email from a resident about a break-in to a property on Hexham Road. The burglar had got access to the property via the alley gate which had been vandalised. This is the second break-in that's been reported to me in the past 3 weeks and it's very worrying.The problem is this: the gates are lockable but children are able to put their hands through the gaps and open gates. As you can see from this photo, anyone with a slim wrist could do the same. The other problem with them is that these gates are very prone to vandalism (particularly of the  closing mechanism), and the Council does not repair them quickly enough.

A number of families and elderly people live in houses which back on these gates. I visited the estate yesterday and talked to residents who have been affected.They told me that they do not feel safe and they are fed up with the Council doing nothing about it.

I have written to RBC's Housing Department asking them to urgently review the type of alley gating used on the estate - residents deserve better.