Terrified estate residents living in fear of ‘Lord of the Flies’ gang of feral kids with golf clubs

Youths were said to be “roaming around with impunity” around old council estate on Ekin Road, Cambridge, and have broken into flats and smashed up everything else they can find with golf clubs

Terrified estate residents have said they are living in fear of a “Lord of the Flies” gang of feral kids who break into homes with golf clubs.

A handful of residents remain on the 122-home 1950s estate on Ekin Road, Cambridge, with all but 14 of the properties earmarked for demolition. The remaining households said their lives have been ruined by gangs who break into the abandoned homes, break windows and “pulverise everything to dust.”

The estate made headlines three years ago after the residents said they would refuse to move should the council press ahead with development plans. The scenes on Ekin Road now, with some captured on video, have been likened to William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” where a group of boys stranded on an island, descend into savagery.

Cambridge City Council wanted to demolish all 122 homes and rebuild the area with 78 new council houses and 56 private properties. Dr Maurice Chiodo spearheaded the Save Ekin Road Campaign, saving 14 homes from demolition, and said the youths were “roaming around with impunity”.

The remaining 108 properties are due to be demolished and rebuilt. Dr Chiodo said: “Youths are using abandoned bins to jump onto shed buildings and balconies.

“They’ve broken into abandoned flats and smashed up interiors. These are very large groups, sometimes up to twenty, coming in with golf clubs and targeting everything they can find, pulverising it to dust. It’s a Lord of the Flies type-scenario.”

Residents started a move away from Ekin Road in July 2024 following the council’s redevelopment plans, with now just around 15 households remaining. Dr Chiodo said the street was “obviously very empty” making it a target and the spike in antisocial behaviour began in February.

He said: “The youths come every Thursday and Friday afternoon, even in their school uniforms. Then last week we had a first adult break-in.

“We’ve had households come to us who have lived here for 20 years and said this is the first time they’ve felt unsafe in their own home. It’s really sad to hear. This is an engineered problem and the council have brought in spades due to poor management.

“Bins have been left here for two years – the flats are sitting ducks. One flat which is on the ground floor and has been empty since 2024 was boarded up ten days ago.

“A lot of people here are scared. The bulldozers could be up to 18 months away. We want a semi peaceful street to live on while this project is ongoing.”

Residents are calling on the council to secure buildings to prevent further upset. Mrs Sandra Ellis, 71, lives in one of the houses protected from demolition but said residents had been left in “limbo” on the ghost estate.

“The estate hadn’t changed over the 16 years I’ve lived here except since they’ve moved everybody out. Now the trees are overgrown and there’s rubbish all over the place.

“The kids think they can do what they like. The council have left us in limbo and we should not be forgotten.”

A Cambridge City Council spokesperson said: “The Ekin Road estate was identified as a site for possible redevelopment by the council due to serious maintenance and structural issues in some of the existing homes, which were built in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Doing nothing was not an option because of the serious issues in the buildings, meaning our tenants were living in accommodation that didn’t meet our standards. Residents who needed to move out to enable the redevelopment have been supported to relocate sooner rather than later, so that they haven’t had to live in limbo waiting for the redevelopment to start.

“The downside of this is for those who will remain living on Ekin Road, and who are facing the problems often seen on sites with multiple vacant homes. We recognise this is a frustrating and sometimes frightening experience and we are committed to reviewing our security measures as required during this phase.”