By Megan Stanley

Families living right next to Heathrow Airport have said they are scared to leave their homes at night due to crime in the village. Cranford used to be an idyllic village that dates back to the Domesday book.

The area's lengthy history can be seen on the High Street – with round buildings that date back to the 1800s.

However, over the last few decades, the village has seen a huge expansion thanks to Heathrow Airport. Along the A4, which runs through the village, huge hotels line the busy road to accommodate thousands of travellers that use the airport.

It's hard to ignore the airplanes soaring overhead onto the Heathrow terminals next door. But for locals, they are barely a problem. Dom, who did not want to give his surname, grew up in Cranford and isn't bothered by the loud planes above.

The 43-year-old, who lives with his mother in Burnham Gardens, said: "The planes are okay, most people who live here work at the airport. I think for a lot of people who have been born and raised around here it is fine.

"I went to school around here and it was never an issue. When the Concorde was flying, that used to be so loud it would shake houses and set off car alarms, but that doesn't happen anymore."

The Concorde was a supersonic airliner that retired in 2003 after 27 years of commercial flights. Now, residents often hear ‎Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-300 and ‎Airbus A350-1000s flying overhead for companies like British Airways, Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Crimes Reported In Cranford. Credit: LDRS.

Dom said: "I think for people who move here the planes are a big problem because of the noise but we have insulation provided in our homes. We often have surveys asking us about health impacts but I don't think it impacts my health, even though I guess there is noise pollution."

Having lived in Cranford all his life, Dom has seen the area change from a quiet community to a busy area with tall, glossy hotels – and more crime. He said: "It used to be a nice village, when I was a kid I lived [closer to the High Street] but I would never live there now.

"There used to be really nice shops, really good traditional fish and chips shops but now there are more shops that bring the area down, in my opinion. They replaced a fish and chip shop with another betting shop and there are a lot of chicken shops, Those things don't necessarily attract the best people, I think anyway."

A few doors down from Dom, another resident, who did not wish to give her name, said she had lived in Cranford for 50 years. She said: "The planes are fine when Concorde flew that was very noisy but now it is fine. It is the crime that worries me, there are a lot of drugs. I am scared to go outside at night."

On Waye Avenue, Iulius Baduria lives with his wife and his cousin's family in a household of eight. The 37-year-old moved to Cranford from Romania four years ago and finds the aeroplanes a bit of a nuisance.

He said: "I like it here, but sometimes the noise is a problem because of the aeroplanes. Inside it is okay, they are quiet but outside it is very loud you can't talk on the phone, it's a problem in the summer. But I understand it, the airport is right there."

Mr Baduria is keen to stay in Cranford despite the noise and only plans to move out of London when he starts a family. Unlike the other residents, Mr Baduria feels relatively safe in Cranford but his car was stolen earlier this year. He added: "It was okay, I had insurance and I got money back for a new car."

Iulius Baduria moved to Cranford 4 years ago. Credit: LDRS.

Despite the local concerns for crime, the number of offences committed in Cranford has fallen in recent years. Between July and September 2022, 347 crimes were committed, a huge drop from the 505 offences reported during the same period in 2021. In 2020, 432 offences were reported to the Met Police between July and September.

Violence and sexual offences are the highest crime type in Cranford, with 116 offences committed between July and September this year. This is followed by 71 antisocial behaviour offences in the same period.