Scottish neighbourhood dubbed 'the Bronx' after warring children terrorise residents

The Priesthill area of Glasgow (bottom) has been dubbed 'the Bronx' (top left) after a host of youth-related anti-social behaviour. Photo of the Bronx: Philip Capper, Flickr

Gangs of feral primary school kids are terrorising a neighbourhood and 'turning it into the Bronx' by throwing stones, smashing windows and intimidating shoppers, residents claim.

Schoolchildren as young as nine and ten years old are running riot in Priesthill, in Glasgow's South Side, with neighbours dubbing it 'the Bronx' after one of New York's most notorious boroughs.

It is claimed the amount of boarded up windows has not been seen since 2003, two years before the Violence Reduction Unit was set up to target gang wars in Scotland's largest city.

In 2007, the neighbourhood's fortunes changed when the Silverburn shopping centre was built - which has now become a hotbed of 'conflict' for warring children.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident said: "There's been a lot of what seems to be gang-related conflict among young people, which we haven't seen here since before Silverburn was built.

"A group of nine and ten-year-olds are terrorising the area - they are smashing windows and it's costing too much for the local housing association to replace.