'I can no longer be light-hearted': Local newspaper columnist quits because she's so depressed with Kings Lynn after her car was vandalised

• Diane Lines complained about people 'spitting, peeing and having sex'
• She wrote a 'light-hearted' weekly column in King's Lynn since January 
• However several incidents of anti-social behaviour made this more difficult 
• She said she did not want her column to become 'a weekly rant'  

By Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Published: 14:22 EST, 5 May 2015 | Updated: 09:12 EST, 11 May 2015

A local newspaper columnist has quit - because she cannot find anything 'light hearted' and positive to write about her home town.

Diane Lines, 56, penned a whimsical column called 'Between The Lines' for the Lynn News Friday since the beginning of the year. 

But she wrote her final installment last Friday after repeatedly falling victim to intimidation, anti-social behaviour and petty crime in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

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Diane Lines, pictured, quit as a columnist for a local paper in King's Lynn, due to the anti social behaviour

Ms Lines complained that she wanted to write a light-hearted column, but couldn't because of the violence

She said every time she came into town at night she saw people 'spitting, peeing or having sex'

The final straw came when her car was vandalised - leaving her so disillusioned with the town she once loved that she can 'no longer be light-hearted'.

She said: 'I am sick and tired of the mindless drunks coming out of the pubs and clubs in Norfolk Street in the early hours of a Sunday morning, spilling into the road in which I live, and making my life a misery.'

The writer even warned police that she would stand at the end of her road and 'battle the drunks away' herself if she had to.

Ms Lines argues that police in King's Lynn don't have time to deal with low-level crime.

The latest incident happened several weeks ago where a group of thugs had a fight by her car resulting in damage to the door.

King's Lynn is a popular tourist destination in West Norfolk

King's Lynn is a popular historic tourist destination in Norfolk, but at night it become menacing 

The Queen's country residence, Sandringham, pictured, is located near King's Lynn in Norfolk

It followed another episode last November where a man hit into the back of her car before the passenger shouted and swore at her and the pair drove off.

Her other frustrations include being forced to 'queue for everything', motorists constantly taking the parking space outside her home, and potholes.

In her final column last week she said: 'My car was vandalised by these thugs, when I have not long ago had to replace my other car, after someone drove into the back of me then drove off.

'Sadly, I can no longer be light hearted, and therefore this is my last column.

'I am sorry that the town I used to love so much seems to have been taken over by such a malaise.

'I told the PC that this Saturday night, I was going to stand at the end of my road and battle the drunks away on my own, if I had to. how very sad.'

Mark Leslie, editor of the Lynn News, said: 'Diane has been a much appreciated columnist and I am sorry that she will not be able to continue.

'We wish her luck.'

Ms Lines, who is due to start work as a carer at the end of the month, said it was a quick decision to leave her role.

She said: 'The latest incident was really the straw that broke the camel's back. I came to the decision very quickly that I couldn't carry on with the column.

'I called the editor on the Monday afterwards and I told him I could no longer carry on and he asked me if I could do a final column, which I did.

'When I took it on my brief was to provide a light-hearted column and after what happened I just felt I could no longer do that.

'I didn't want the column to just turn into a weekly rant.'

Ms Lines is appalled that everytime she goes for a walk in her local park she spots someone 'spitting, peeing or having sex'.

She added: 'I loved this town, I absolutely loved it. But by last week I just thought "I have had enough of this town".

'I have just been left disappointed and saddened by the problems in the town. It's a beautiful town with so much history and lots of historical buildings.

'But I have found myself fighting against the apathy and bureaucracy.

"You can't walk down our beautiful park without seeing someone spitting, peeing or having sex.

'I'm one of these people that doesn't ignore something when I see anti-social behaviour.

'I have had many an altercation with people when I have said something.

'I feel that I would literally go down to the end of my road in the early hours of the morning and arm myself against these people.'

Ms Lines took up the column at the beginning of the year after building up a reputation as a regular letter writer for the paper.

She has lived in the town for ten years. 

DIANE LINES BLAMED HER FINAL COLUMN DUE TO DRUNKS AND RUDENESS

Diane Lines' final weekly newspaper column

When I started to write this column back at the beginning of the year, my brief was to write a light-hearted column about the local area.

Sadly, I can no longer be light-hearted, and therefore this is my last column.

The reason why? Well, you may have noticed my references over the past few months to rubbish, vandalism, drunks, rudeness - I could go on with the list.

Last November, a kind gentleman ran into the back of my car, on John Kennedy Way, whilst my car was stationary.

The kind lady in the passenger seat made various obscene gestures to me, then the driver drove off, through a red traffic light.

Fortunately an observant person took the registration number and telephoned the Police.

Subsequently, this person went to court, and received an ?85 fine. What happened to me? Well, my car was a write-off. I had to get another car.

Guess what - last weekend, when all the drunks were pouring out of the pubs and clubs in Norfolk Street, some of them decided to come in to my road and have a punch up.

They also decided to have the punch up around my car. And do you know what, they have ruined one of the doors.

On calling in to the police station on Sunday, I was told they were short-staffed, and no-one could talk to me.

If you have been a regular reader of this column, you will be aware that the issue of short-staffedness is one of my bugbears.

It seems to be absolutely impossible to go anywhere these days without having to queue.

And yet ever more houses cover our town and the surrounding areas. I did have a call from a very nice PC the following day - as expected, there is nothing the police can do.

He also said something very telling: 'It's not going to get any better.'

Another thing which has been getting under my skin for many years now is parking in my road. I live in an unadopted road, which means it is not maintained by the council.

Basically it is full of potholes. The good thing is, though, that is a private road.

All the residents have to have cones with their house numbers on (like in that comedy Bread from many years ago).

But still people who don't want to pay to go in to the nearby car park come round and move my cones when I am not there, then park their car in MY space.

Be very wary if you are thinking of doing this - you might end up with an old cone sitting on your nice shiny bonnet.

I am sorry that the town I used to love so much seems to have been taken over by such a malaise.

I told the PC that, this Saturday night, I was going to stand at the end of my road and battle the drunks away on my own if I had to. How very sad. 

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