A PREGNANT woman says she feels “trapped” by gangs of unruly schoolchildren who use her driveway as a playground on their journey home. Kerry Coe, of Etheridge Road, Loughton, said the youngsters from Davenant Foundation School are making her life hell.

“There’s a bus stop outside my house and I have anywhere between 40-150 kids on my driveway every day.

“I feel trappe.; I can’t even get out of my door and there’s so much swearing and violence.

“My elderly neighbour has had stones through her window and another one has had to replace his fence after the kids shattered it. They kick footballs against the window, fight near my car and cause a lot of damage. It’s getting ridiculous.”

The 28-year-old says she’s managed to capture photographic evidence of the mayhem for the authorities.

She told the Recorder she was subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse after the youngsters knocked at her door.

“I’m beginning to get scared, you just don’t know what kids these days are capable of. Fifty per cent of them are harmless but it’s the others you have to worry about. Fights often break out and the other day two of the younger ones were so frightened they asked if I would stand with them.”

Residents’ association chairman David Linnell thinks it is a pity the gangs are giving schoolchildren a bad name.

He said: “It’s such a shame because most children are well mannered, but sometimes when they get into large groups they end up showing off and this is the kind of behaviour it can trigger.”

Chris Seward, headteacher at the school in Chester Road, Loughton, said the situation is “highly regrettable”.

He added: “We are taking this matter very seriously and have liaised with community police officers and the parents of the students directly concerned and have visited the bus stop area.

“We acknowledge there is also a problem with the number of our students who need to get on buses at the end of the day and have spoken to the bus company about the regularity of their services.”