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Olivia Attwood reveals true impact filming raunchy docos has on her and Brad’s sex life – and it’s not what you’d think
NO-NONSENSE Olivia Attwood has opened up on the true impact filming endless raunchy documentaries has on her sex life.
The 33-year-old is married to Gillingham footballer Bradley Dack, 31, but says it is “missionary position all the way” in their £1 million mansion.
Olivia launched the third series of her hit ITV show, Getting Filthy Rich, on Thursday (January 30). The first episode is set to air tomorrow (February 2).
The mega-successful docuseries sees her delve into the world of online sexual content and kinks, and she meets the women raking in millions in the adult industry.
In the upcoming third series, Olivia herself in the world of financial domination, adult cosplay, the boyfriend experience and meets the OnlyFans top one percent earning up to $150,000 a month.
But it turns out, all that exposure to sex doesn’t get the reality star going.
She admits that some days after filming, she felt like she was “going to cry” if Brad tried to woo her in the sheets.
“I’m all mouth and no trousers,” Olivia tells Mail+.
“I talk the talk, but it’s missionary position all the way in our house.
“There’s a section of society for whom sex is such a big part of their lives… But then there’s the other side, people who are having sex once a month, if that. Sex isn’t a big part of their lives.
“When not making the show, I certainly don’t think about sex every day or talk about it.
“Actually, while I’m making this show we have less sex.
“I see it all day, then I get home and think, ‘If I see another penis, I’m going to cry’.
“I think Brad thought I’d learn some new tricks but actually I’m more likely to say, ‘Put your clothes on’.”
But just because Olivia feels like this, she doesn’t expect the rest of the population to.
“I’m open-minded,” she says.
Olivia Attwood's Career History
From Monster grid girl and Love Island star to daytime telly panellist and respected documentary maker, Olivia Attwood has made a huge career pivot in recent years...
Olivia first started as a Monster grid girl at motorsport events in 2012 when she was 19-years-old, and did it right up until she went into Love Island in 2017.
After placing third in the reality show with then-boyfriend Chris Hughes, she starred in their own spin-off series, Chris & Olivia: Crackin’ On, in 2018.
Later that year, she appeared on Celebs Go Dating and then joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex in 2019, where she had a number of fiery on-screen rows.
In 2020, the reality TV veteran began starring in her own reality series on ITVBe titled Olivia Meets Her Match, which followed her wedding preparations with footballer Bradley Dack.
In 2021, the tide started to turn.
Olivia made appearances on household shows Lorraine, Tipping Point: Lucky Stars and Loose Women.
Then, in 2022, ITV commissioned her for her first ever documentary series.
She presented Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, which explored women selling sexual content online.
In June 2023, ITV commissioned Olivia Marries Her Match and made her a regular guest panellist on Loose Women.
Her most recent docu-series, Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection, aired in January this year where she sensitively explored the cosmetic industry.
“My attitude is ‘live and let live’ and if you aren’t hurting anyone… But I was constantly shocked.
“I’d go home and tell Brad the things I’d seen and he thought I was pulling his leg.
“I called him once and said, ‘I watched a woman walk a man on a lead today. He was crawling on the floor’. Brad didn’t believe me until I was editing and he saw it for himself.”
Olivia and Brad were in a relationship in 2017 before her Love Island stint, which catapulted her into the world of showbiz.
The couple rekindled in 2018, and after a few bumps in the road, tied the knot in 2023.
They are currently in a long distance relationship as they juggle their conflicting television and sporting careers.
Ruth Langsford reveals ‘horrifying’ health fear as she opens up on secret panic
RUTH Langsford has revealed her deep fears about Alzheimer’s – admitting she avoids thinking about it due to her family history.
The presenter, 64, spoke candidly for the first time about her life since her split with telly host Eamonn Holmes.
She said the disease, which has affected both her parents, and the possibility of developing it herself, terrifies her.
Ruth said: “I’m a bit head in the sand about Alzheimer’s.
“Both my parents have had it, I know what it entails and it horrifies me.
“There’s a test you can do to know if you are more likely to get it, but because there’s no medication to treat it, I’d rather not know.”
Ruth admitted that even minor memory lapses send her into a panic.
She went on: “When I have senior moments, as people call them, I panic. Then I let it go, because I can’t bear to think about that.”
Ruth tries to focus on enjoying life rather than worrying about the future.
The star added: “Live your life, have a glass of wine, see your friends, have some fun because none of us know [what the future holds].”
Ruth also opened up about her recent weight loss, revealing that her divorce played a role.
She added: “I have lost weight. Divorce obviously has something to do with it but I also went for a hormone check and rebalance, which helped.
“It could also hopefully mean that I’m coming to the end of menopause.”
Despite prioritising her health, Ruth insisted she’s not obsessed with dieting.
She said: “My life is about finding balance. I want to eat as well as I can, but I don’t want to be a bore.
“I can’t bear being out for dinner with people who go, ‘Is there butter in that?’ I think, ‘Just eat a chip or go home!’”
The Sun was first to report how Ruth, 64, and Eamonn, 65, were pushing for a “quickie divorce” in which she is eager to keep their £3.5million Surrey mansion as part of her divorce settlement.
Meanwhile, Eamonn has sparked speculation he is ready to start afresh with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander.
The Sun On Sunday previously revealed the GB News anchor was keen to get engaged to Katie.
Now Ruth opened up about the impact of their split on her health.
The Loose Women star said: “I have lost weight.
“Divorce obviously has something to do with it but I also went for a hormone check and rebalance, which helped.
“It could also hopefully mean that I’m coming to the end of menopause.”
The March issue of Woman & Home is on sale February 6th.
Olivia Attwood left gobsmacked as OAP sex worker gets down to business right in front of her in eye-opening new series
THE new series of Getting Filthy Rich is the most “extreme” according to host Olivia Attwood.
This time, a pensioner in her 70’s decides to get to work right in front of her eyes.
The former Love Islander explores every crevice of the sex industry in the hit ITV documentary series.
And some scenes are likely to make even the most broad-minded viewers blush.
In the eye-opening third installment, the Loose Women star watches as a sex worker gets down to business.
“This is our most extreme series,” Olivia tells The Sun’s TV Mag.
“Some of the bits are harder watches. The themes are MILFs and GILFs, cosplay, sex XL, findom, the Only Fans 1% club and the boyfriend experience.”
Rather than explain some of those for you, TV Mag will leave you to find out for yourself from Olivia’s show.
The first episode focuses on mature ladies.
Olivia visits Caroline – a former Christian in her 70s who decided to take up sex work later in life – and is completely taken aback when Caroline lives out an online client’s sexual fantasy right in front of her.
“I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw that day at all,” admits Olivia.
“I really just thought she was going to do some chatting, then the next thing I know, she was doing what she was doing… I was like: ‘Oh wow!’
“I just had to stay as composed as I could. I never want it to feel like I’m looking down on people. When I’m talking to girls my age or younger, I kind of feel big-sisterly, protective.
She added: “But when I’m talking to someone who’s got so much more life experience than me, who am I to tell them that I’m worried about them or whatever?”
Although Olivia jokes on the show that she might launch a profile on subscription website Only Fans when she’s 60, there’s a huge obstacle in her way.
“I’m too much of a prude,” she admits.
“I am the definition of all talk, no trousers – when it comes down to it, I’m pretty vanilla! [Laughs.]”
The third series of Getting Filthy Rich will air on ITV2 on Monday, February 3. TV Mag is available for free every Saturday, only in The Sun.
Olivia Attwood's Career History
From Monster grid girl and Love Island star to daytime telly panellist and respected documentary maker, Olivia Attwood has made a huge career pivot in recent years...
Olivia first started as a Monster grid girl at motorsport events in 2012 when she was 19-years-old, and did it right up until she went into Love Island in 2017.
After placing third in the reality show with then-boyfriend Chris Hughes, she starred in their own spin-off series, Chris & Olivia: Crackin’ On, in 2018.
Later that year, she appeared on Celebs Go Dating and then joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex in 2019, where she had a number of fiery on-screen rows.
In 2020, the reality TV veteran began starring in her own reality series on ITVBe titled Olivia Meets Her Match, which followed her wedding preparations with footballer Bradley Dack.
In 2021, the tide started to turn.
Olivia made appearances on household shows Lorraine, Tipping Point: Lucky Stars and Loose Women.
Then, in 2022, ITV commissioned her for her first ever documentary series.
She presented Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, which explored women selling sexual content online.
In June 2023, ITV commissioned Olivia Marries Her Match and made her a regular guest panellist on Loose Women.
Her most recent docu-series, Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection, aired in January this year where she sensitively explored the cosmetic industry.
Love Island fans call for Ekin-Su axe from All Stars insisting she’d be ‘kicked out if she were a man’ after outburst
LOVE Island fans have called for Ekin-Su’s removal from the All Stars villa after “behaviour that would have got her kicked out if she were a man”.
On Friday night’s episode, tensions boiled over between Ekin and Curtis Pritchard during a chat after he was stolen from her by Danielle Sellers.
Until that point, Curtis and Ekin-Su had been coupled up since the start of this series.
Curtis admitted he had led her “towards the end” of their romance, shortly before Danielle picked him to couple up with.
He said he felt “confused and pressured” by their two-week romance to say he was closed off, when in fact he wasn’t.
Curtis added that Danielle’s decision to recouple with him caught him off guard.
However, Ekin-Su wasn’t having any of it, accused him of making up “bulls**t” and branding him a liar.
“I know what loyalty is, I know what being honest is, and you f**king don’t!” she yelled.
She then stormed off, but not before turning around and chucking a drink at him, with it landing at his feet while the rest of the islanders awkwardly watched on.
As she walked back towards the kitchen to join the rest of the group, she announced: “Done. Dusted. You don’t exist. You’re gone for me.”
Fans were split by the moment, considering the action a step too far and she should be removed.
“If a man behaved the way Ekin-Su did, he’d be kicked out of the villa #LoveIsland” wrote one fan on X.
“no seriously, i’m not sure how much more of ekin i can watch. i want her out of there. #loveisland” said a second.
“If that was Curtis throwing the drink it would be a different story with Ekin sitting there,” noted a third.
“Ekin needs to work on her form because she dashed that drink the floor and not Curtis,” wrote a fourth, while a fifth said: “Ekin just wants to trend so badly. And throwing the drink at Curtis is assault.”
Others seemed to revel in the moment, declaring: “Ekin throwing her drink STORM EKIN IS BACK she knows what she deserves and it’s way better than Curtis LOVE HER”
The Masked Singer UK 2025 LIVE: Two stars’ identities to be revealed tonight as finale date confirmed
THE Masked Singer‘s newest episode is bringing its first double unmasking of the season.
Teeth’s departure last week left seven contestants still in the running – Wolf, Snail, Bush, Kingfisher, Bear, Dressed Crab and Pufferfish.
But two of the celebs will have to bid the show goodbye tonight.
It comes as ITV has finally confirmed the date for the season finale.
Last week, the Masked Singer fans were left stunned after Teeth was unmasked as TV presenter Mel Giedroyc.
It seems the mystery celebs this year are certainly giving the ITV show’s judges a run for their money.
The Masked Singer is available on ITVX and STV Player, while the new instalment of the singing competition airs on ITV every Saturday.
You can follow our blog below for all the latest news and updates …
Ancient underground labyrinth city discovered with its own water system to cool down chambers during scorching summer
AN ANCIENT underground labyrinth city with its own advanced water system has been discovered after researchers stumbled across it in a garden.
The sprawling network of twisting passages was found beneath the historic town of Abarkuh, Yazd Province, central Iran.
Abarkuh has always been known to harbour a rich history, as it falls within the “golden triangle” between the ancient cultural hubs of Shiraz, Yazd and Isfahan.
But the huge and complex structure discovered beneath the town still amazed archaeologists.
The tunnels were uncovered below five Abarkuh houses after stone chambers were detected beneath their gardens.
Archaeologists broke through the earth to regain access to the spaces, which had sat undisturbed for hundreds of years.
So far, they have explored an enormous 650,000 square-feet of underground space, but the labyrinth could extend much further throughout the entire city.
The governor of Abarkuh, Hossein Hatami, said that “research was continuing” because similar discoveries in the past suggest the corridors could stretch “throughout the entire historical context of Abarkuh”.
Researchers figured out that the subterranean city had been used mainly to transport the local water supply.
It hosted the city’s canal system, which was was key to providing drinking water and allowing residents to stay cool during the baking desert summers.
Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst, said: “These tunnels were used to transport water from underground aquifers to the surface for irrigation, drinking, and other uses in the arid region.”
It was important for the water to flow underground so that it wouldn’t evaporate in the scorching-hot temperatures.
This allowed the ancient people to bring in water from distant supplies, and kept it cool.
But archaeologists have come across more than just canal channels.
There are also large halls carved out of the rock, suggesting that people would venture down and gather there.
The chambers would have provided a reprieve from the punishing sun, and temperatures do not soar so high underground.
The hidden network would also have served as a haven to hide in during wars and invasions.
Hatami said: “The spaces between these stone beds were turned into gardens by the ancients, and they had foreseen paths under these stone sections for ease of access, security, water transportation, and their lives.”
He added: “The presence of small stone chambers in the historical houses of Abarkuh, located under the stone bed, indicates their special function in the past.”
Historians think the tunnels were built by the Qajar people.
Clues come from the kind of stones used to reinforce the underground walls – which are the same stones the Qajar used in above-ground buildings.
This group was a tribe that began to spread in the 10th century, and eventually bloomed into Iran’s Qajar royal dynasty that existed between the 18th and 20th centuries.
Irina said: “There are many tunnels from the Qajar period in Iran, although it’s difficult to pin down an exact number.
“The Qajar dynasty was known for its large-scale infrastructure projects, including the construction of qanats, water reservoirs, and tunnels, many of which are still in use today.
“While it’s hard to give a precise count, the Qajar dynasty left behind a significant number of such structures.”
Masked Singer fans convinced huge show star will return to perform on final after spotting clue
THE MASKED Singer fans are convinced a huge show star will return to perform on the final after spotting a clue.
Viewers believe McFly’s Danny Jones, 38, who won last year’s series as Piranha, will take to the stage once again for a special duet.
Their theory stems from the fact that Danny is set to appear as a guest judge on the final episode, leading many to speculate that he will slip into his costume once more.
Fans also suspect he could perform alongside this season’s Pufferfish, playing into the idea of a “two fish” duet.
The show often brings back former contestants for the finale, making the theory even more plausible.
Taking to Reddit, one fan asked: “Who do you want think is going to come back for duets in the final ?”
Another replied: “Pirhana and Pufferfish would be amazing.”
Someone else suggested: “I want pirhana and snail.”
A fourth said: “Monster and Dressed Crab would be heavenly, Piranha and Pufferfish is incredible and Snail paired with Robobunny maybe?”
During last year’s series, Piranha was revealed as noughties legend Danny as he was crowned the winner.
He told host Joel Dommett at the time: “I’ve had the most amazing time, I can escape behind here and just be Piranha and sing these songs.
“I’ve learnt so much, I’m able to sing higher now just from being on this show. I am so happy, thank you!”
Reacting to the win, one fan said: “Danny Jones……What an amazing voice, congratulations what a worthy winner.”
A second wrote: “Danny Jones solo album as soon as possible please. A voice like that and it was hidden in McFly’s music (which I still loved obviously). Insane.”
“Wow! Danny Jones! Didn’t realise how good he is,” said a third.
While a fourth commented: “Anyone that has seen Mcfly live was in no doubt the moment Piranha opened his mouth that it was Danny Jones.”
Who has left The Masked Singer 2025 so far?
Much to the delight of telly fans, The Masked Singer is back in 2025.
Twelve celebrities have been hidden behind intricate costumes, with their identities concealed.
Sadly, not all of this year’s whacky and wonderful characters can make it to the end of the show, as there can only be one winner.
Here’s who has been unmasked so far:
Teeth – this character baffled judges and viewers with their changing voice. They were finally unmasked as former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc. None of the panel managed to guess it was her
Tattoo – despite Davina McCall saying “you sound the same” after this character was unmasked, none of the judges guessed it was 80s singer Carol Decker, whose hit China In Your Hand was a No1 hit for five weeks
Toad In The Hole – a massive diva strop saw the character storm off the stage after the judges voted them off. They later returned to be unmasked as singer Macy Gray
Pegasus – the mythical horse was revealed to be Prue Leith, with judge Jonathan Ross correctly guessing her identity
Spag Bol – this character was first to be unmasked and was none other than Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway.
Plus there was one extra unmasking this season, with Giant Joel – a caricature of host Joel Dommett – unveiled as double-double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
Patrick Dorgu breaks silence as he arrives at airport to jet to Man Utd as Ruben Amorim closes in on first transfer
PATRICK DORGU has broken his silence on his imminent move to Manchester United.
The versatile defender is on the verge of becoming Ruben Amorim‘s first signing as Red Devils manager.
Amorim moved quickly to acquire the Dane’s services, agreeing a £29million deal with Serie A side Lecce after identifying him as a target.
Dorgu said his goodbyes to his Lecce team-mates after their clash with Parma on Friday night.
He was spotted at Milan airport on Saturday morning ahead of a flight to Manchester and a seemingly imminent medical with the Red Devils.
And the 20-year-old revealed he’s champing at the bit to join the Premier League giants.
When asked if he’s excited about the move to Old Trafford, he told Sky Italia: “It’s an opportunity for me.”
Dorgu was in the Lecce matchday squad for their 3-1 win over Parma but was an unused substitute.
He warmly embraced his team-mates and acknowledged the travelling supporters after the final whistle.
Lecce boss Marco Giampaolo was full of praise for the full-back after the final whistle.
He said: “I think Dorgu will be in Manchester tomorrow.
“[He’s] a splendid boy, he gave us everything he had.
“At 20 you have this opportunity, maybe you also have other thoughts in your head.
“It didn’t seem right to me to make him play neither for Lecce nor for himself.
“If I needed him, I would have used him, I thought about it but the temptation was brief.”
Dorgu joined Lecce in the summer of 2022 from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland.
He’s made 57 appearances for the Italians, scoring five goals and registering two assists.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
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Our town’s worse than the Bronx – we’re terrorised by lawless kids hurling bricks & getting arrested 9 times in 10 days
KNIFE-WIELDING gangs of school kids as young as 10 are terrorising a small town dubbed “worse than the Bronx”.
The young yobs have hurled bricks through shop windows, started fires and taunted police officers who are embroiled in an endless battle to restore law and order to once-sleepy Blackwood, Wales.
Groups can be as big as 20, with both boys and girls, who are mainly aged below 18, including one young woman fuming locals claim has been arrested nine times in just ten days.
The bizarre reign of terror, which has seen incidents range from the faintly ridiculous to potentially deadly, has cast a shadow over the otherwise pleasant town in the county of Gwent.
Last week the council held a meeting with cops after a terrifying rampage saw one teen chased by another through the town with a blade.
Running for his life, the desperate boy sought refuge in a family friend’s house, before calling the police.
Blackwood town council staged an emergency meeting in response, where its own deputy mayor compared it to the crime-hit New York borough.
But the gathering was swiftly interrupted by young hoodlums who barged into the small council building and resisted efforts to remove them until police arrived.
Town councillor Andrew Short, 56, has a car workshop and antiques store opposite the bus station waiting rooms.
Speaking in his capacity as a local business owner, he said: “We now have no public toilets as we’ve had to shut them because of needles being left there and vandalism. We only open them on Tuesdays for market day and if there’s a special event on.
“They hang around inside the bus station a lot because it’s heated and has free WiFi, although they’ve had to switch that off to try to deter them from going in there.
“Lots of people – especially elderly people or the disabled – don’t want to use the bus station, and I let them wait here, because they’ve been abused by these kids. One man tried to get rid of them and they threatened to stab him.
“They’ve ripped the doors off the bus station, there’s been drug dealing, bricks thrown through shop windows and they ride electric scooters through the market causing a danger to shoppers, and just all kinds of anti-social behaviour.
“People are scared to come into town after dark, but on the other hand, there’s nothing for these youngsters to do here, there’s no entertainment or youth club for them.
“The police take them back to their parents, but the parents don’t seem to do anything, and the same people are back out the next night hanging around and causing trouble.”
Iwan Thayer, 26, is the general manager of Snap Fitness, which is reached by steps on the opposite corner of the square.
It also has WiFi, which the gangs have discovered the password to, and often congregate on the steps outside.
He said: “There have always been gangs hanging around, but it’s progressively got worse. At the moment we’re in close contact with the police and they do a patrol every hour.
“In the daytime it’s fine but when it gets dark is when the problems happen. There’s usually 10-15 of them, a mix of boys and girls under 17 years old.
“Any time we see them we let the police know. Because we’re a 24-7 gym, members come in at night and the door slowly closes and locks again, but they’ve broken in a couple of times by catching the door before it’s closed.
“They’ve stolen things from the vanity station, little things like aerosol cans, they’ve threatened people and sprayed someone in the face when they tried to kick them out.
“The police are doing everything they can, we’re not as badly affected as some of the other businesses they’re messing with.
“It’s intimidating for members who have to walk past them to get in. The majority are probably harmless, but it’s intimidating knowing that one girl may be carrying a knife.”
‘Nine arrests in 10 days’
The girl in question is believed to be from another town and is banned from Blackwood. The Sun was told she has been arrested nine times within a ten-day period.
When the police can catch them in criminal acts or anti-social behaviour, they are taken back to their parents, but locals fear the parents “don’t seem to care”, leaving the schoolkids free to continue wreaking havoc.
Another shop owner said: “I’ve been told one of the main troublemakers is a lad just under 18 who is from another town and Stagecoach have given him a bus pass. They should take his bus pass off him so he can’t come into Blackwood and cause trouble
“We had four outside last night banging on the door, but sometimes there will be 20 of them, from about 12 or 13 right up to 17-years-old.
“The other day they got hold of some blue paper rolls, and were heard saying ‘let’s start a fire’, so the police were called and said they’d log it, but didn’t come out.
“They set fire to all the bins in the square. They should be arrested and sent to juvenile prison for three months.
“I can’t go on the record because we’ll get a brick through the window, and we’ll have to pay for it.
“When I was at school there was the odd nutter like anywhere, but nothing like this. It’s crazy.
I don’t know why all this is occurring now. You’d have had a clout in my day
Stephen Miles
“There’s no deterrent. They get arrested and sent home and the next day they come back out and do it again.”
Blackwood, in the borough of Caerphilly in the county of Gwent, does have a thriving rugby club.
President Stephen Miles, 71, has been involved with the club for 50 years.
He said: “We only open on a Friday and Saturday, so I hear about all the trouble the youngsters are causing.
“We’ve had them climb on the roof and slide down, which I think is normal kids’ stuff.
“But the other day I passed Lilian Road, which is just above Market Square, and there was a bunch of kids playing up.
“There were about nine or ten police officers there trying to move them on and they were just abusing the police, saying ‘you can’t catch us’ and all that sort of nonsense.
“The last time we had trouble like this was with young lads driving up and down the high street, so I don’t know why all this is occurring now. You’d have had a clout in my day.
“They’ve also been abusing old people waiting at the bus stop – I don’t know what’s wrong with these kids.”
Locking down
Major stores including Peacocks, Iceland, Boots and Asda in the town have also reported abuse towards their staff and anti-social behaviour by groups of youngsters in their stores.
One store worker, who also wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said: “We lock the door as soon as we see them hanging around outside and I don’t make any contact with them, I don’t even look at them.
“They just want a reaction and as soon as you react, they’ll start abusing you. They just want to wind people up because they’re bored and there’s nothing for them to do here.”
A local resident who didn’t want to be named said: “I come into Blackwood a lot and there are gangs hanging around, mainly around the ages of 14 or 15. You often see kids causing a nuisance at the bus station.
When I was at school there was the odd nutter like anywhere, but nothing like this. It’s crazy
“I saw the window and asked the newsagent they told me they’d refused to serve an underage girl alcohol and later she was back banging on the glass, and they wouldn’t let her in, so she threw a brick through the window.
“Any other country if behaved like that you’d go to prison, but that doesn’t happen in this country.
“Blackwood’s going downhill, I think we’re too soft on these people.”
Deputy mayor George Etheridge said last week: “Blackwood has become worse than the Bronx with anti-social behaviour. It is completely out of control.
“Blackwood bus station is a continual problem with e-scooters and bikes being ridden through the bus station and youngsters terrorising people.
“We have elderly people waiting for buses who have complained about not feeling safe and are intimidated. Bus drivers are abused and have things thrown at them and bus windows are targeted with stones.
“Bus station windows are being smashed and timetable holders defaced and destroyed. Graffiti covers the walls of the bus station.”
Gwent Police has announced a fresh joint-agency operation in Blackwood town centre, which has already led to a number of arrests connected to public disorder allegations.
They have also issued several dispersal orders, which prevent particular people from going to a specific area for a certain number of days.
Chief Inspector Stevie Warden of Gwent Police said: “Our officers continue to work with our community safety partnership to do all we can to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town.
“The bus station, for instance, is one of our known areas for anti-social behaviour and that is factored into our daily patrols and tailored Operation Lumley plans.
“We are aware of the recent reports of disorder over the last few weeks and councillors’ concerns, and we continue to work collaboratively with partner agencies to tackle this.
“Tackling the issue goes beyond just policing, we would ask parents, guardians and carers to consider do you know where your children are socialising, and do you know if they’re involved in what is being reported to us?
“And we urge them to have conversations to help these young people understand that not only are these actions having negative impact on those around them, that any offences committed by them could negatively impact their futures – whether that’s stopping them from getting their dream job, applying for a car loan or the chance to travel.”
‘Open for business’
A spokesman for Blackwood Town Council said recent comparisons to the Bronx had “unfairly tarnished” the town’s reputation.
They added: “While we acknowledge concerns about anti-social behaviour, particularly around Blackwood Station after dark, we are actively addressing these issues.
“On January 23, 2025, councillors met with police and agency partners to convey residents’ concerns and to urge the full use of available powers against offenders.
“A comprehensive plan is now underway to tackle this behaviour, and we anticipate a real and sustained decline in incidents that cause distress in our community.
“We are deeply concerned about the Welsh Government’s decision to cut funding for community support officers, as well as Caerphilly Council’s plan to axe community safety wardens, both of which play crucial roles in maintaining our safety.
“Despite these challenges, the resilience and spirit of Blackwood’s residents and independent businesses remain strong. Our town is vibrant, welcoming, and very much open for business.”