Scumbags in my town are being treated like heroes – Andy Burnham’s too clueless to notice

Imagine living in an area brought to its knees by the consequences of gang violence.

Now imagine being a law-abiding parent, already fearful about your family’s safety, who is told that your children’s school is shutting its doors.

We’re not talking about an obscure lawless corner of the world here, locked in the crosshairs of gang warfare: we’re talking about my home town of Middlesbrough.

For the last few weeks Middlesbrough and the wider Teesside area have dominated the headlines for truly awful reasons. Chaos engulfed the streets after teenage thugs tore the wrong way down the A66, causing the death of two police officers, PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough.

Now, unfathomably, the decision has been made to shut local schools, with the powers that be citing “traffic disruption” due to the funerals of the very scumbags who caused the anarchy in the first place. One of the teens’ funerals is planned to take place at Teesside Crematorium, Acklam, Middlesbrough, this afternoon (Monday, September 7).

Middlesbrough Council said some schools had chosen to close early “based on the possibility of localised traffic disruption leading to delays later in the afternoon”.

Outwood Academy Acklam closed at 12.15pm, Newham Bridge Primary School at 1pm. Acklam Whin Primary School and Green Lane School in Acklam at 1.15pm.

Newham Bridge Primary School said in a letter to parents the closure was to “ensure safe transit home for all our families”. Outwood Academy Acklam said the decision had been reached “after careful consideration of the potential impact on pupils, staff and families travelling to and from the school”.

I’m seething as it’s utterly outrageous.

This is precisely the time that the local community – and children – need stability more than ever. Those living in the area need to know that the shameless reprobates don’t get to dictate how the rest of us live our lives.

At the moment, the message is clear: the thugs are winning.

It’s little wonder that Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has erupted over this crazy decision. She took to social media to slam the sheer absurdity of it, saying it’s “obscene” that “this is happening again”.

I can only imagine that headteachers have arrived at this decision as they’re fearful for children’s safety – which is, of course, what they must always keep at the forefront of their minds. But we’re now days on since the last wave of schools shut for another one of these funerals. It was entirely predictable.

It is an absolute dereliction of duty by the current Education Secretary, Lucy Powell. And where is clueless Andy Burnham? They should have been immediately in touch with schools, councils, MPs and the police to keep those schools open. This government should have moved heaven and earth to ensure the pupils’ safety. Anything else just tells us we’re law-abiding mugs who are losing out to the scum.

I am disgusted that the hardworking citizens of my town cannot go about their daily lives with confidence, certain that their children will be safe.

Middlesbrough children and families deserve better than this shambles