A GANG of youths caused havoc in a Hampshire neighbourhood as they subjected residents to a campaign of vandalism and break-ins.

Residents living in Market Street, Eastleigh, were left horrified and angry after a group of teenagers went on a rampage.

Garage doors were forced open, bikes were stolen and windows were smashed, as the youths ran amok, causing chaos in the early hours of Saturday morning.

As a result police received four reports of criminal damage and three reports of burglaries relating to garages, leading to the arrest of three teenagers.

One 17-year-old from Southampton has since been charged with obstructing a police officer in their duty, possession of an offensive weapon and causing criminal damaged. He was due to appear before Southampton Youth Court today. Resident Joyce Watts, 86, is leading calls for Eastleigh Borough Council to install CCTV to combat the problem.

She said: "It's sheer hell. Nobody dares ever to confront these youths because of the fear of being kicked or stabbed to death. We are absolutely at the mercy of these youngsters.

"I just feel that the council is really letting us down and what we really need is CCTV in this area to make these vandals think twice about doing it again."

Police spokesman Sergeant Lisa Tyson said: "We are aware of antisocial behaviour and low level crime occurring in Market Street and are working together with our partner agencies to reduce these incidents and ensure Market Street is a safe and pleasant area for residents.

"The Eastleigh Central Neighbour-hoods team do patrol the area frequently."

A spokesman from Eastleigh Borough Council said that at present there were no plans to install CCTV in the Market Street and was satisfied that the police had dealt with last weekend's incident.

He said: "We would encourage residents to continue to report incidents via the 101 number."