A WOMAN has begun a fight for improved safety in Tenbury after two teenagers scared her and a friend in the park.

Susannah Quill is a mother and primary school teacher from Tenbury and spoke out on social media after the incident. She had been out for a run with her friend when the teenagers jumped out from a hiding place.

She wrote: “Two teenage boys hid in the Burgage and jumped out at my friend and me as we ran through tonight. Our experience as women is to run away. We felt scared and angry. We have the right to run wherever and whenever we like, but they made us feel afraid of our own town. I hope they reconsider how they treat other people.”

Her Facebook post received almost 100 likes and 50 comments.

Ms Quill said that she had reported the incident to police and spoken to the town council about it. She said the town council were considering putting lights in the Burgage after the incident.

Ms Quill told the Tenbury Advertiser: “Anti-social behaviour (ASB) seems to be an escalating problem in Tenbury.”

As of data published in May 2023, there was an average of 10 sexual or violent offences per month in and around Tenbury. Other reported crimes in Tenbury this year have included shoplifting, ASB, vehicle crimes and criminal damage.

Discussing crime rates with the Tenbury Advertiser previously, inspector Dave Wise who oversees the Malvern Hills and Wychavon Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “We wholeheartedly encourage reporting such incidents and want to assure the public that the police are unwavering in their commitment to victims. Random violence remains a highly infrequent occurrence in this area.”

Proportionately, the crime rate in Tenbury is low. The current national crime rate is around 75.88 per 1,000 people, but in Tenbury it is 75.54. This is lower than some nearby towns of a similar size, such as Bromyard.