A Leeds woman was looking forward to living in a quiet residential area before it turned into a "dogging" hotspot.
Tavi, who has lived in Hungate Lane for over a year, says she cannot walk down the footpath near her house without seeing "groups of men waiting" and "feeling scared". The 32-year-old, who said the Methley residential area has less than five properties predominantly occupied by older people, has found underwear, clothes, condoms, and bottles left on the public footpath by a group of exhibitionists.
The path was once beloved by dog walkers but has now "turned into filth". Tavi, who branded the nuisance and littering '"filthy and sickening", said most people taking walks in the area "turn away" or "avoid" the lane, but recently she decided to confront them.
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She said: "One day I was walking along and decided to walk the other way to usual. I found a group of men, about five of them, all just standing there. It was a bit weird and scary.
"I walked further down and found condoms and all sorts on the floor. Another day, I had come home from work around 3pm and I just saw around 20 cars, with men just waiting inside and glaring. Then I found another six men just waiting on the path again."
She added: "I told them that the area is a mess. I asked them why they weren't at work too. But I quickly turned away as I was too afraid to go past them.
"Cars have also been passing by at the early hours of the morning around 3am. I just feel uneasy about it all."
Tavi told Leeds Live that she wants the area to be cleaned up and more done to keep things under control. She claims to have written both to the council and police but says "nothing has been done".
She added: "The littering is stopping people from this community getting through to the other side of the lane. Residents won't venture out past 5pm now. They don't dare go down the lane; they don't want to see certain things.
"It needs to be clean not just for the residents safety but environmentally too. I have lived here a year and a half now and I just feel conscious and stressed about it. It has been like this since I moved here."
She added: "We should be able to go down there without the dogging happening. I don't want to feel this way."
Inspector Tom Perry of the Leeds South Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "We are aware of areas that have been identified by members of the community as a cause of concern due to the nature of the activities taking place there. As a result, our officers have stepped up patrols of those area. We also work with partner agencies in relation to street cleaning and the promotion of sexual health. Members of the public are encouraged to report incidents of public indecency to the police."
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: "We are aware of complaints about this issue in the Methley area and are currently working with West Yorkshire Police and other partner agencies on resolving issues for local residents."
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