Police patrols have been stepped up in Littleham in an area described as ‘hell’ by residents.

Exmouth police say anti-social behaviour is on the increase in Mountain Close, with residents’ lives being made a misery.

Officers have increased police presence in the area in a bid to combat the anti-social crimes.

Residents have been visited by the police and given information on how to tackle the troublemakers.

The police are urging those living locally to report any outbreaks of anti-social behaviour – no matter how small – as soon as they occur.

Officers say they can deal with culprits ‘swiftly’, provided they are contacted.

Lock tampering, broken beer bottles and anti-police graffiti are part of a catalogue of crimes suffered by neighbours, police have said.

Police community support officer, Malcolm Maguire, said: “There has been an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour in Mountain Close.

“As a starting point, to address this, Littleham neighbourhood policing and East Devon District Council safety co-ordinator, Gerry Moore, conducted a survey with all residents in order to air their views and to develop an action plan.

“Increased patrol has commenced and all residents have been given information on how to contact the police and the council to ensure information of any incidents is dealt with swiftly.”

In 2010, a Mountain Close pensioner described the area as ‘hell’ after losing hundreds of pounds to thieves who repeatedly broke into his home and garden.

He said teenagers were making residents’ lives a ‘misery’ and believed drug-taking to be responsible.

He added that most residents felt intimidated into keeping quiet and not reporting incidents to the police.

The elderly man, who had given up replacing his stolen property, likened living in Mountain Close to ‘walking on eggshells’.

In 2010, nine burglaries within six months, a hit-and-run incident and properties being pelted with peat and stones, were among the long list of anti-social behaviour suffered by residents.