Elderly woman targeted by alleyway louts

A 92-year-old Arataki resident is being terrorised by the antics of louts who gather in an alleyway linking Ocean Downs Reserve with Francevic Ave.

The impact of the path on the life of the woman has been detailed in a letter to the Tauranga City Council.

The woman is one 41 residents who live in the area around the alleyway that have petitioned the council to close the path because of problems with louts.

The petition was due to be tabled at a council committee meeting today. The accessway doubles as a stormwater flow path and council transportation manager Martin Parkes said in a report that closing the access could have a negative impact on run-off during heavy rain and could result in nearby properties being flooded.

Problems listed by the woman included bottles being smashed in the walkway after drinking sessions, beer cans being thrown over the fence, eggs and rotten fruit being thrown at the side of her house and stones thrown at the garage door.

She said that she has twice caught children climbing the fence into her property and her house has been burgled.

The woman said things had recently come to a head with a bourbon bottle smashed against her garage door and someone turning on her garden water tap. The flowing tap could have gone unnoticed for a couple of days.

Today's meeting will also feature an update on the Rena salvage by Keith Frentz and six monthly reviews of work on the city centre strategy and by Downtown Tauranga. Mount Mainstreet will also deliver its six monthly monitoring report.