{"id":144439,"date":"2023-12-05T08:54:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T08:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/?p=144439"},"modified":"2023-12-05T08:54:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T08:54:25","slug":"our-club-was-used-to-film-itv-drama-now-were-building-25k-fence-to-keep-out-machete-gangs-after-finding-dead-body-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/world-news\/our-club-was-used-to-film-itv-drama-now-were-building-25k-fence-to-keep-out-machete-gangs-after-finding-dead-body-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Our club was used to film ITV drama – now we\u2019re building \u00a325K fence to keep out machete gangs after finding dead body | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
IT was once a thriving hub of the community and recently used as a filming location for a hit ITV drama.<\/strong><\/p>\n But the acting secretary of a working men\u2019s club in the Harehills area of Leeds has revealed they\u2019ve been forced to sell off the plot to fund a new security fence in a desperate attempt to keep out violent gangs and drug users.<\/p>\n The Sun visited the blighted suburb last week, after a spate of gangland-style stabbings and murders left people fearing for their safety.<\/p>\n Harehills Labour Club\u2019s acting secretary Dave Ewart, 69, told us the club grounds – where ITV filmed scenes for its Yorkshire Ripper drama The Long Shadow – have been abused by people \u201ccoming in un-invited to the site\u2026defecating and leaving drug paraphernalia\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to get a specialist removal company in as your normal rubbish removal company won\u2019t touch needles. That cost us \u00a3750,\u201d Dave said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a dying industry, we are trying to prolong it as long as we can.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn order to raise funds we have now sold the land, and they will be our landlord.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of that deal we are currently putting a \u00a325,000 fence around the venue – we would not have been able to afford to do that on our own.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUntil this point it has always been completely open. We have an outside drinking area and grounds but this is always abused.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt one point there was a man camping here\u2026 one morning we even had a dead body.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe suspect it was the man who had been sleeping in the tent and he\u2019d died of some drug-related problem but we never found out.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople use us as a cut-through and once we had a man being chased by another with a machete across our grounds. It\u2019s not great for our area or the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe real shocking thing is that we\u2019re not shocked by what we see anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n At one point there was a man camping here\u2026 one morning we even had a dead body<\/p>\n Harehills Labour Club was established in 1968 and opened by Labour MP Denis Healey.<\/p>\n In its heyday it had a membership of 1,200, but this has now dwindled to around 600.<\/p>\n It remains a relic to the 1970s, with traditional working men's club decor and a bar which serves Boddingtons bitter and John Smith's ale on draft.<\/p>\n The lounge area of the club acted as the inside of The Gaiety pub in nearby Chapeltown for The Long Shadow and was where actress Katherine Kelly, who played victim Emily Jackson, did most of her scenes.<\/p>\n The grand concert room is a massive venue but will only get half full on a busy night. Weekend acts range from Dolly Parton and Take That tribute bands to comedians.<\/p>\n Dave, a retired accountant and building estimator who lives in nearby Gipton, said: \u201cThe drop in interest is not just a change of culture in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cIt's the fact that we have lost a generation who would now rather spend their money in town. \u201cIt is the way of the world, and we can't change the way of the world, but we are trying to prolong it as much as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a community hub and everybody is welcome here, even non-drinkers, you can spend just as much these days drinking lemonade. The only thing required to attend is membership.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe don\u2019t feel we\u2019ve had much help. We were threatened with a huge fine if we didn\u2019t clear up much of what was deposited on the periphery of the club\u2019s premises.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a big problem with fly tipping, but when we went to the council they told us they would fine us \u00a320k if we didn\u2019t remove it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is the support there? For a business that is struggling to survive and is essential for the community in an area such as this. A cost like that would floor us.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lack of policing and lack of council interest.<\/p>\n \u201cSo instead we have come up with an agreement to keep us going and we\u2019re hoping the fence will allow us to put an end to all the problems we have been having.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave said he believes the fence will help \u201cenormously\u201d, and they also have their own CCTV in place to keep an eye on the outside of the club.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople abuse what we have all the time, they sit at our benches outside and eat their food like it's a picnic and park in a car park and sometimes leave it for a day, sometimes for a fortnight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI am pleased the fence will stop all of this. It\u2019s a pity that what was once a thriving hub of the community is very much on a downward slide.\u00a0<\/p>\n We had a big problem with fly tipping, but when we went to the council they told us they would fine us \u00a320k if we didn\u2019t remove it<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re making our own efforts in our little way to make things better here, but it would be nice if the authorities could be more proactive in pursuing the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: \u201cNo one should have to put up with anti-social or criminal behaviour, and through our Safer Leeds partnership, the council works closely with West Yorkshire Police and members of the community in Harehills to address any concerns around anti-social behaviour and wider crime issues.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognise the impact crime and anti-social behaviour can have on communities and through this partnership work, we look towards longer-term solutions which make our communities safer and deter those involved.<\/p>\n \u201cEnforcement tools that are available to the council include court injunctions banning people from engaging in certain types of behaviour, premises closure orders and, in cases that involve a person who is a council tenant, taking action related to their tenancy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would ask anyone who is experiencing crime or anti-social behaviour in the area to please contact the police or the council\u2019s dedicated anti-social behaviour team as soon as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cResidents can be assured that all cases will be investigated in a thorough and confidential manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
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