Residents 'extremely afraid' after spate of break-ins on Cambridge estate
Several empty homes have been targeted in recent months
Last updated 8th May 2026
A campaign group believes a series of break-ins on a Cambridge housing estate has left residents "extremely afraid".
Several windows and doors on empty buildings on Ekin Road have been boarded up with steel sheeting, with some properties bearing graffiti and cracked glass.
Doctor Maurice Chiodo - from the Save Ekin Road group - said groups of around "20 to 25 teenagers" thought to be responsible for the crimes appear on the estate most afternoons and evenings between Monday and Friday.
"We're extremely disappointed and afraid; I've had multiple residents come to me and say 'for the first time in 20, 30 years, I feel unsafe living on Ekin Road', and that's really sad to hear," Dr Chiodo said.
"We've had large groups of youths, coming in swinging golf clubs at vacant properties, smashing windows, leaving a total mess, breaking into stairwells where people still live.
"It's coming to people's front doors and people are very scared."
Cambridge City Council aims to demolish 108 homes on the Ekin Road estate to make way for 134 houses, but keep 14.
Out of the 134 houses, 78 of these will be council homes and 56 will be privately-owned homes which will be a mix of one to five-bedroom homes, according to the city council.
Meg has been living on Ekin Road for 13 years, and in recent weeks, her flat has been targeted by criminals.
"Before (the break-ins) it (life) was quite good, with some incidents of anti-social behaviour, and now in the last year, it's been an awful place to live," she said.
"Someone threw a brick or stone into the back door, glass was broken; I asked the council to repair it (but) wasn't done properly."
Since 2024, some residents living on the estate have been moved by the council to other accommodation.
Cambridgeshire Police said it's working with partners and local councils to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the area.
"Local sergeants and officers are regularly patrolling the area to ensure the addresses are secure," a police spokesperson said.
"All properties have been boarded up and security teams carry out regular visits to prevent further damage."
Police are urging anyone who is or has experienced ASB to report this to the force.
Meg said the Ekin Road estate "is horrendous; for sure, it encourages people to vandalise.
"I live alone in a block of flats and don't feel safe in this area; the council should care more about premises where tenants still live."
Extra security after anti-social behaviour
A spokesperson for Cambridge City Council said residents who moved out to enable the redevelopment to happen have been supported to relocate.
“The downside of this is for those who will remain living on Ekin Road, and who are facing the problems often seen on sites with multiple vacant homes," the spokesperson said.
"We recognise this is a frustrating and sometimes frightening experience and we are committed to reviewing our security measures as required during this phase."
Some of these measures include mobile security officers taking on random patrols every day, as well as steel hoarding, alarm systems and motion sensors in vacant buildings which sends alerts to a security company.
“In light of recent incidents, we have increased patrolling to five times per day, targeting times of the day where incidents of anti-social behaviour has been reported by residents and have installed a re-deployable CCTV camera on site," the spokesperson added.
“The council has a dedicated public safety team who are reaching out to residents and working alongside the police.
"Residents are encouraged to keep reporting any incidents to the council’s antisocial behaviour team, or any criminal activity to the police. We will continue to review and adapt security measures on the site as needed.”
Permanent patrols needed, says group
In January, Cambridge City Council said 81 households on Ekin Road have been supported to move into homes of their choice.
Councillor Gerri Bird, cabinet member for housing at the city council, said if a planning application to demolish and rebuild homes on the estate goes through, building could begin this year.
Dr Chiodo said the way the Ekin Road plans have been managed has left the estate "going to pot.
"It takes only a few simple measures coming together to mitigate that, but the council refuses to listen to us and we are paying the price," he added.
"The steel sheeting is a great start but if there's nothing to monitor it, the kids are ripping the sheeting off the front of the buildings and breaking in anyway.
"It's a deterrent, but it requires additional security such as a permanent patrol presence on the estate."