Express & Star

Drug taking and violence forces closure of Craddock Street subway

Drugs, alcohol and anti-social behaviour have led to a subway in Wolverhampton closing.

Published
Whitmore Reans subway off Craddock Street.

The Craddock Street subway, near the Avion Shopping Centre, in Whitmore Reans, is set to close down due to it being ‘unpleasant and intimidating’.

The move has been welcomed by people living in the neighbourhood, with one calling the subway ‘dangerous’.

Subway became drug hangout

Anthony Latter, from Whitmore Reans, who was a nurse at New Cross Hospital before his retirement, said people were using drugs in the subway.

The 76-year-old said: “I come up that way, but there was a couple – a man and woman down there – the bloke was sticking a needle in his thigh.

“I stopped using it because it is so bad. It’s been a mess but the police have moved them on.

A needle in the subway.

“It goes on – some people do use it still.”

A resident who lives in nearby Craddock Street, who did not wish to be named, said: “I would never choose to walk down there and have avoided doing so for a number of years – and particularly late at night.

“It’s not the most welcoming of places and to be honest I don’t think we even need it.”

Melanathy Lyndon, from Whitmore Reans, is a former self-employed carpenter – and he called the area ‘trouble’.

The 59-year-old resident said a lot of people used the subway – and said it should not be shut down.

Whitmore Reans subway off Craddock Street.

He said: “I don’t like the subway. There’s no need for them to close it – it’s just because of the trouble

and alcohol use there and it’s not going to be policed at all.”

Jonathon Gregory, who works in advertising, said the council had done well to clean up the area.

The 44-year-old said: “I’ve visited it in the past and I visit it more often. If I was coming down this way I’d use it. I would say that was true [the drugs, alcohol and anti-social behaviour] in the past, but I think they’ve made quite an effect there by cleaning it up.

“They’ve been cleaning it up and I think that’s determination to keep it open.

“When my mother used to shop there, she used to use the subway.

The subway off Craddock Street.

“I was a kid and she had three kids and she was always using the subway instead of the main road. That’s going to stop now.”

Rai Gurdevsingh, a former Goodyear worker, said the area was ‘dangerous’.

The 83-year-old said: “It’s not a nice area and there’s a lot of drugs around.

“I live about 200 yards away and there’s quite a lot of dangerous people around.

“It’s just very very bad. People tell you it’s a nice area – it’s one of the worst areas and I’ve complained.

“It’s very risky for people to visit the area. Crime is going up as well.

“It’s quite bad – it’s very bad, dangerous and there’s many drugs.”

Council survey led to closure

Wolverhampton Council has not given a firm date on the closure of the subway.

The subway has been an ongoing source of problems, which ranged from flooding, vandalism and graffiti, a Wolverhampton Council spokesman said.

Council chiefs carrying out a survey found more people used the nearby traffic signal crossing instead, rather than the subway.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.