Fighting, thieving and substance abuse is prolific, warn the Leeds Burmantofts locals
“Be very careful. There’s a lot of nutters about,” was the advice locals in Yorkshire’s most deprived area gave to anyone passing through. The inner-city district was deemed the most impoverished area in the 2021 census with 41.7 per cent of households classed as deprived.
The district has a prosperous history, dating all the way back to the Middle Ages. ‘Burmantofts’ was first attested in 1427, its name originally meaning ‘town dweller,’ deriving from ‘burgh’, meaning town, then ‘man’, as in person, and then ‘toft’ as in a plot of land. It has a population of 28,528 over a 4km area, with a 50 per cent male to female split, and is 57.3 per cent white, 22.9 per cent black and 9.2 per cent Asian. The bulk of people living there are 18 to 64-year-olds, at 64.3 per cent.
“Just watch where you’re walking, who’s behind you. It would be a nice area if it wasn’t for the nutters. It was a nice area about 20 years ago, when they’re weren’t as many junkies about.” 'A lot of crackheads and druggies' A local shopkeeper, who didn’t want to be named, has said he inherited the corner from his dad, who first opened the store in 1986. He’s said he’s seen just about everything working behind the counter from 1999, and is keen for his own children to avoid the area.
He said: “There’s a crack den around the corner that always gets raided by police. I don’t let them in the shop anymore. They stink. It’s horrible. They’re going to rob the local area to feed their habit. There’s a lot of crackheads and druggies around here.” “With the police, we’re somehow secure but it’s rough, very rough. It’s not safe, the police are always gathering information, asking if I have a CCTV camera.”
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