A GANG of youths caused havoc at a railway station by spraying passengers with a fire extinguisher.

British Transport Police officers rushed to Frinton station last Friday at 6.51pm following reports of anti-social behaviour by a group of teenagers.

Residents have raised concerns over a group of youngsters gathering at the station and obstructing people.

The youngsters, who were described by a witness as “aggressive and intimidating” were seen shouting and approaching passengers on the platform.

A teenage boy was also seen holding a fire extinguisher, spraying passers-by, as well as the windows of an approaching train.

One of the witnesses, who has asked to stay anonymous, has expressed how scared she and her two children were when they went to pick up her husband from the station.

She said: “Frinton is a really peaceful little town and they are just interacting with impunity.

“It is incredibly frustrating and intimidating.

“It was only 6.45pm, so early I would have never thought it would be unsafe to take my children to the station.

“If I hadn’t had the children they probably would have tried to spray me but they walked past and stared at me and the kids were very scared and taken aback by them.

“There were so many of them, it was so upsetting.

“It is so sad I cannot go into the station with my kids and pick up their dad and this makes me worry about him and what they are going to do next really.”

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “Officers attended to disperse the youths and issued words of advice.

“Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated on the network, if you see anything that concerns you, report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency dial 999.”

On previous occasions, a group of teenagers was spotted on the roof of the station, also pulling out plants and throwing them at people.

They were also seen throwing cans and bottles on the tracks.

A spokesman for Greater Anglia has said: “We are aware of issues involving anti-social behaviour at Frinton-on-Sea and we are implementing several measures to tackle the issues, including working with British Transport Police.

“We have several teams of Land Sheriffs who regularly patrol the network throughout the day and night and additional staff will also be deployed along the line.

“It’s incredibly dangerous to act inappropriately around the railway and anyone engaging in this behaviour is risking their own life and the lives of others.

“Safety is our priority on the railway and anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour should contact British Transport Police on 61016.”

Terry Allen, Tendring councillor for Frinton, has urged people not to tar all teens with the same brush.

He also believes the youths responsible for vandalising the station are not local.

He added: “Frinton is a nice quiet place and we want to keep it that way.

“It is a lovely town and we need to stamp on this behaviour firmly straight away.

“We don’t want the tranquillity of Frinton to be spoilt by mindless hooligans.”