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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Andrew Robinson & Kit Roberts

Life in controversial 'red light zone' with garden sex and a weekend 'change in vibe'

A British town with a controversial reputation has turned over a new leaf much to the appreciation of residents.

Fartown in Huddersfield might have had some significant problems in the past, but current residents now think it's come a long way since having problems with the sex industry in the area.

Matthew and David have not lived in Fartown for very long, but they say they have already taken a liking to the place, though the rats are still a problem.

The pair claim that Fartown is "cushty" and "nice and friendly", a far cry from previous perceptions of the area, YorkshireLive reports.

Bricklayer Matthew, 27, does have one problem though and that's the rats in the neighbourhood.

He got quite a fright only last week when one of the rodents nearly shot up his trouser leg while he was sitting on the steps in the back garden of their rented house.

David (left) and Matthew, of Fartown, Huddersfield (HDE)

Matthew admits to letting out a scream as the rat touched his leg - as he had a vision of it crawling up his leg.

He said: "It wasn't nice. I was sitting on the back step when the rat jumped up, did a back flip and went back the way it came.

"It caught the back of my leg. I jumped up and screamed."

He can joke about it now but he wasn't laughing at the time.

Matthew says there is a "rat path" at the bottom of the garden and he thinks the rodents might be living in house cellars.

Some of the gardens on the street are untidy and the grass is long and uncut.

David, 32, a labourer, says: "It's nice around here - I love it. Everyone says hello and is friendly."

Abbey Road in Fartown (YORKSHIRE LIVE/MEN MEDIA)

Matthew and David say their street "comes alive" on a Friday and can be noisy all weekend with people shouting and cars screeching, but they don't mind too much,

The pair added they haven't yet seen any evidence of the sex workers that other residents have been complaining about.

However, other locals say the sex trade is still blighting the area.

One young man, who lives just off Alder Street, spots sex workers "almost every day" in a hidden snicket near his house.

Bags of rubbish left on the pavement on Alder Street (Reach PLC)

He didn't want to be named but said: "They approach me in my car and ask if I want any business. Mostly they are around from 11pm.

"They visit the 24-hour shop for cigs and booze and then go to Alder Street, passing our house. You can hear them arguing and shouting."

He added: "I once saw a prostitute doing business in my gran's garden. It was quite a few years ago now."

But it's the fly-tippers and the sky-high car insurance premiums that are his main concerns.

He installed his own CCTV to deter fly-tipping and it worked a treat, he says.

He checked the footage and discovered one of his neighbours was responsible for dumping a load of bin bags near his house.

He confronted them and the dumping stopped.

Kirklees Council sign just off Alder Street in Fartown (Reach PLC)

The unnamed man added: "I told them I would get the police and council involved. People are now scared that someone is watching them.

"Sometimes people come in cars (to dump rubbish) but they go to the bottom end (of Alder Street) near the shops. We don't like tipping because it causes rodents."

The CCTV cameras, he says, have worked well to deter some anti-social behaviour.

He said: "We've had them a good few years. Before we put them in we had all sorts going on - people scratching cars and prostitutes doing business in people's gardens.

"Everyone knows about the cameras now. But at the bottom (of Alder Street) there are no cameras and they are not afraid.

"Even dummy cameras work. People don't want to be caught on camera and named and shamed. Everyone got together and put CCTV up."

Although he's lived in Fartown a long time, he's thinking of selling up because it is costing him around £3,500 a year to insure his car, a fairly standard Audi.

The man added: "My mate has the same car and he lives in Marsh (Huddersfield) but he pays £1,000. It's just because of the area.

"We are thinking of selling up and getting out because of the insurance and because it (Fartown) has a bit of a bad name.

"When people say they are from Fartown, people say 'shootings and stabbings'".

Another resident disagreed and said: "It's alright. It's a good community with shops. People come home and chill out."

Resident Shivon Murray, who has lived just off Alder Street for 11 years, said: "It's improved a lot. Prostitutes are not hanging around so much anymore.

"There is litter - crisp packets mainly - but everybody cleans the street up themselves."

Notice placed by resident on an alleyway near to Alder Street, Fartown (Reach PLC)

One woman who has lived in Fartown all her life said that the number of sex workers had dwindled since the Covid pandemic.

She added: "We keep ourselves to ourselves. It is kind of divided - we don't really talk to anyone in the terraces."

Saadi Haidary, owner of the Kobane restaurant, which opened 12 years ago, said he enjoyed working in Fartown.

He said: "The restaurant is doing really good; it is busy. We open from 12.30pm to 10pm.

"I have been here since 1999. We are getting on very well with the community, it is a fantastic community. We are getting on with all nations."

He said the restaurant had a wide range of customers.

He added: "We have Albanians, Syrians, Polish, Hungarians, Romanians and English. We have a five star food hygiene rating."

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