A police chief has vowed to act after a regional daily’s exposé on an area of its patch being blighted by crime.

Lee Freeman, chief constable of Humberside Police, has pledged more resources to tackle anti-social behaviour on Hull’s Orchard Park housing estate after an investigation by the Hull Daily Mail.

The Mail revealed how “feral youths, teenagers and young men” are making lives a misery for people on the estate, with buses and taxis refusing to go near certain areas.

Earlier this month a formal dispersal notice was put in place in the area after dozens of young people met on motorbikes, mopeds, quadbikes and scooters to honour Kane McBride and Adam Wright, who were killed after they lost control of a stolen bike.

The Mail splashed on the investigation on Monday morning, with chief con Freeman making his pledge on Twitter just hours later.

He said: “Regardless of the many actions already taken, we must listen to our local communities and take action

“Orchard Park residents expect us to deal robustly with minority causing problems.

“This is what I expect us to do, so local teams will get the resources they need do this.”

The issue has subsequently been raised in the House of Commons by Hull North MP Dame Diana Johnson.

Editor Jamie Macaskill told HTFP: “Our job is to get into our communities and find out the issues that are important to people.

“Locals told us the crime and anti-social behaviour in Orchard Park was having a huge impact on their daily lives. The feeling was these gangs were operating with impunity.

“It’s encouraging to see the chief constable respond so quickly and positively as a result of our coverage and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to work with Humberside Police on this issue.

“We’ll keep on reporting from the area to ensure this commitment from police has a positive impact on the community.”