Is anyone else just fed up with all this?

Agree. We lived in a lovely (and ridiculously expensive) area and regularly walked past people drunk off their face on the morning school run, groups of men on electric bikes with balaclavas riding down the main road at 4pm looking threatening. I could go on. We’ve moved away and I don’t miss those things!

Have to say I haven’t seen this in our area. The trick or treaters were very polite, even the teenagers.

You clearly don’t live in an affluent area.

Not sure if this is sarcasm or not...

I live in a rural village and we sent through a phase of people on illegal e- bikes and balaclavas. The police were very proactive and once word got round that p they were being arrested and the bikes seized it stopped.
I think the anti-social behaviour and behaviour in schools generally stems from the sense of entitlement people seem to have and parents behaving like their child’s best friend rather than parent.

I think we took a lot of things for granted in the past, but yes, sadly you're right.

Idiocracy?
That's a film made in 2006, suggesting 2026 would be awful.

What bothers me most is the selfishness - which results in this sort of behaviour, and more. People are increasingly concerned about what’s best for them and don’t really care about the effect on other people. It’s depressing.

YANBU. Society ruled by scum who are ‘vulnerable’

My area is not posh. It’s a Northern town that has grown a bit more middle class through new builds over the beautiful fields and farms. Trick or treating was a delight with the only child who took a handful of sweeties a toddler. The others were so polite and friendly. At the end of the event an older pair of kids turned up and were thrilled with their haul. They stayed for a chat and put some sweets back in the tub to be left on the step in case any laggers followed them. My road is often double parked - the church all attracts a crowd sometimes then it’s carnage but it is a rare day someone doesn’t let you down and everyone waves. If you are an old lady who tripped in town, a lost pet, a needy child or confused pensioner there is help at hand and the local Facebook group will be checking on you for weeks. There are kids on bikes and scooters but most are fine - get less affluent and come oop north!

YANBU @Vanillachocolate1. I was just saying to my DH the other day that it feels like we are on the verge of social breakdown.

Where I live, the number of young balaclava-wearing males on e-bikes/scooters has skyrocketed. They fly along the pavements (despite the council spending gazillions on cycle lanes) barely missing you/brushing against you, despite them being technically illegal. Vaping on the bus and train, folk sitting with their feet up on the seats, people playing loud music and shouting conversations into their phones.

And as you say, houses getting egged, plants getting ripped out of flower beds, packages constantly stolen if left outside.

Then there’s AI, job losses, uncontrolled migration, prisoners getting let out early, taxes going up, increasing cost of living etc.

I’m sounding like my mother but I can’t watch the news now - it’s so depressing.

It's not my general experience either, and I definitely don't live in an affluent area.

I'm a cyclist though and I can tell you that by far the worst place to cycle round here, in terms of the aggression and abuse from drivers, is through the affluent town next door.

It's the company you keep 😆

I live in London and have hand on heart never seen or heard of any of this kind of stuff. Sounds like a run down area to me. The state schools here are brilliant and all the young people I’ve met when helping out at the school have been lovely!

I moved from the infamous North West town that was in the news a couple of years ago 😔..I moved up to a village in Northumberland and I often go to the two market towns each week. I have to say its lovely and I feel very safe.

Why would you class it a nice area if it’s like this though?
Perhaps accept it’s not a nice area and move if that’s a priority for you.
None of this is particularly normal or widespread.

Exactly. Doesn’t sound like a nice area with kids egging houses and shouting racist abuse! I’ve never heard of the like!

I agree, I live in the north, a small working class town. I don’t have a problem with kids in the area

There was a bit of trouble on our town over the summer and our very good councillor asked for some police rangers to patrol the town. It’s not perfect , but I’ve seen them in action and the teens seemed to be listening. The sad thing is society has broken down a lot and people don’t know how to behave. It’s not just the young , drivers are aggressive, people are on the edge and drug taking off the scale. I don’t feel safe after dark. It’s just a tinder box isn’t it.

Agree OP
I live in a very sought after village, very rural and leafy, yet we have drunk folks wandering around shouting and creating, ghost like heroin addicts, balaclava adorned youths, annoying scooter and electric bikes all over.
All seems to be concentrated around one family and their few offshoots nearby.
This all seems to have happened in the last 5 or 6 years.
I keep riiiiight out of it!

I'm in what is officially classed as 'a socially deprived area'. I'm another one 'up North'.

Most folks are cheery and pleasant. I've spent 30 years teaching teens in the schools round here and most of them are good kids. Not always the brightest, but behaviour's pretty ok on the whole. Parents are mostly down to earth and happy to engage with the school. Your SLT sounds shit, and I agree that the worst thing in schools is piss poor or weak management. I suspect if you've taught it a MAT that exacerbates it. Schools were never meant to be corporations.

I've not seen any balaclava clad hoodies on e-bikes. As a woman I feel safe walking on my own at night, and always have done. I don't know of anyone who has had their property 'egged' or vandalised. I can currently hear fireworks, but I think that's probably from the local park and it will be a council run/Lions/Round Table thing. (I'm too old to be arsed to go out).

I'm sad for anyone that feels they are living in some dystopian nightmare. I find life to be much the same as it's always been.

Same here. Also live in London and don’t recognise this at all.

My area is the opposite of the nice affluent areas described here but we don’t have this problem. We all know each other’s kids and if we saw this type of behaviour we wouldn’t think twice about stopping it.

Re: the driving.

It has been atricious round here lately. More like mario kart than anything. Not giving way to the right at roundabouts, seeming to not understand the highway code, bearing down on bicycles, playing chicken at junctions.

I have been waiting to let a car down the hill (cars parked on both sides all the way up) and MULTIPLE times have had people veering around behind me to drive up the hill, only to be miffed they then have to reverse.

I know someone who came over on a care visa, who told me that they didn't have to take any sort of driving test at all for 12 months when they first arrived. He did actually go for lessons before he started driving around, because he said it was all so different to what he was used to (Nigeria) that he felt it would be dangerous not to.

I don't think they are the only problem drivers, but it might explain some of what we are seeing, not everyone is as sensible as him unfortunately.

OP, do you live somewhere beginning with C by any chance?

Similar to you here. Council area,a few are 'owned' the rest council. We have lived in many areas round the UK over the years,including some affluent areas. We much prefer it here.