BRAVE MUM WINS FIGHT TO KICK OUT DRUG GANGS

A MOTHER has told how she drove away crack cocaine dealers who
threatened to destroy her neighbourhood.

Claire Walsh and other neighbours stood firm in their resolve
despite receiving threats and intimidation.

This week the 43-year-old was honoured with a national accolade
marking her incredible stand.

Mrs Walsh helped galvanise law-abiding neighbours in Foxglove
Gardens, Reading into a force to be reckoned with.

They built up a catalogue of anti-social behaviour which was later
used by housing bosses to evict the nightmare tenants.

And now she has received one of just 370 local hero awards made
under the Government's Respect scheme across England and Wales.

It was in 2000 that dealers began making life hell for residents of
29-house Foxglove Gardens, off Oxford Road.

The single mum said: "Everybody realised we had a common enemy. At
one point there were five crack houses and it was pretty awful
living under those conditions.

"You were woken at night by constant arguments and people coming and
going at all hours. We even had armed police on the estate on one occasion."

In April 2001, as a result of the detailed dossiers compiled by the
neighbours, Sanctuary Housing Association (SHA) secured eviction
orders for three of the crack dens.

But Mrs Walsh, who has an 18-year-old daughter Rhiannon and a son,
Alex, aged 16, recalled: "When the dealers were evicted they just
picked up their stuff and walked straight past the neighbours and
into the other two houses.There was nothing we could do."

Mrs Walsh added: "I wasn't threatened personally, but a lot of
people in the area were."

Two months later SHA bosses secured a second eviction order and the
crack house operators were on the run.

That created a situation where police have been able to stay on top
of the situation and snuff out attempts by Jamaican Yardie gangsters
to set themselves up in the area.

Neighbours say the area is now far safer than it was six years ago
when they decided enough was enough.