RESIDENTS in Great Horton are becoming more stressed by the day as groups of teenagers continue to ignore lockdown rules and put others' lives "at risk".

Councillors in the area had already warned that those flouting the law will get themselves into "serious trouble" after an incident where a gang was snapped blasting music around the streets and ignoring social distancing rules.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

It has been two weeks since the lockdown was introduced with prime minister Boris Johnson giving the "simple instructions" to stay home and stop meeting with anyone outside the household.

"If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No," the PM said.

But it appears the message is still not reaching some of Bradford's youngsters, leaving many elderly people and those with underlying health conditions extremely "worried".

One resident said: "They don't understand it's putting other people at risk with the virus going round. People are vulnerable.

"My partner's got COPD. There's an elderly lady across. There's a nursing home up the road. It's very scary and everyone's concerned about it.

"I'm scared because this virus is very dangerous at the moment. How do I put it into words?

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

"There's a lot of vulnerable people out there.

"People are trying to do the right thing."

Councillor Tariq Hussain (Labour, Great Horton) has a simple message for anyone of any age who chooses to gather in groups despite the warnings.

Councillor Hussain said: "The story tells itself. This country is in crisis. Nobody is safe and they should adhere to the Government's guidelines and rules.

"They really need to take heed to what they are doing out there. They should listen to the Government. We're requesting that they listen and stay inside. They should social distance.

"You're just putting everybody in jeopardy.

"I think partly it's the government's initial reports putting out it just affects the elderly. It's affecting everybody.

"That message needs to be sent out with a bit more information about what is happening. This is dangerous for everybody."

Councillor Joanne Dodds (Labour, Great Horton) reassured residents in her ward that police are working hard with youth services to continue sharing the urgent message to stay inside.

The force will keep a record of the areas regularly being used by groups.

Like Councillor Hussain, the councillor believes the problem lies in the fact these perpetrators don't understand just how "serious" the virus is.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

She explained: "It's important that people do report and fill in areas where people are doing this so that they (the police) can tell them that they shouldn't be doing it. It's a danger to everybody around.

"The advice is about staying home and that's for a good reason - for yourself and other people.

"Parents do have to take some responsibility of their children and young people. They do need to know where their youngsters are.

"I think sometimes some of the younger generations think they're immune and they don't really understand just how serious it is.

"You hear reports of young people dying - there was one at 13 and the youngest at five. It can happen to anybody and they need to realise that and understand the reasons of it."

West Yorkshire Police has urged anyone who sees large groups gathering together to call 101.

People who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and can be arrested as part of new enforcement powers announced by the Home Office.

Officers can also tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area and ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law.

Those who refuse to comply could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days. Second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of £120, doubling on each further repeat offence.

Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines.

Alternatively people can also fill in West Yorkshire Police's COVID-19 form to report any breaches online, which takes between two and five minutes.