The wife of a man arrested after he tackled youths on behalf of an elderly neighbour has told of her disgust.
Steven Chegwin, 44, of Broom Avenue, Westleigh, was arrested following allegations he was racist towards a youth.
He will wait until August 12 to find out if he has to face any charges.
His wife, Irene, 53, said her husband was defending his 80-y
ear-old neighbour as the youths were causing a nuisance and being rude to him.
She said the group of 15 youths, aged between 11 and 14, were a constant annoyance, ruining the grass verges, climbing on trees and throwing bricks at cars.
She said: "On Thursday, July 8, there was a commotion at the front of the house, as the youths were hassling our next door neighbour who has cancer.
"Our neighbour told the kids to get off the trees and they gave him a load of abuse. So Steven told them to go away.
"Then on Saturday, the police arrested him, saying he had been racially abusive.
"It is out of order. He has not done anything. He was just sticking up for an 80-year-old man."
Mrs Chegwin said that her husband has health problems and was stressed as a result of the incident.
She also added that she was so fed up with the youths hurling abuse that she wants to move after 17 years of being in the same home.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed complaints had been made about the youths' behaviour, which amounted to snapping trees branches and trashing grass verges.
Insp John Rowson, of the Leigh Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for us.
"We are working closely with residents in the area to listen to and address their concerns and have already had a number of successful convictions against those involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour.
"We do a lot of work in partnership with the council and housing associations to make tenants aware of the misery this causes and the consequences for offenders and their families.
"If anyone has any concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area I would encourage them to talk to their local officer or police community support officer (PCSO)."
Police confirmed that a man was arrested on suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offence and bailed pending further inquiries.
