Gangs of youths terrorising an estate, where police found a bag full of guns and shots have previously been fired, have residents cowering in their homes.

People living in Hollins and Mccall Houses, in Tufnell Park Road, Holloway, say their outdoor areas are virtually out of bounds due to teenagers hanging around, selling drugs and driving mopeds at high speeds.

Last week, police searching the estate found an arsenal of guns – including a sawn off shotgun – under a bush, while shots were fired at a car in 2010 and bullets flew through the estate during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend, in June two years ago.

A resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s been going on four of five years, big groups hanging about and selling drugs near the football pitch.

“It’s ruining things for kids – they’re too scared to go out. When it’s sunny they stay indoors because the gangs are there and the can only go out when it’s raining.

“Something needs to be done - Islington Council need to take action.”

A resident of Mccall House said: “It is a problem. Mostly they’re on their scooters.

“Some nights you worry about going out of your own front gate.

“There’s a lot of kids. Something needs to be done. It’s silly things like they have CCTV up, but they can’t see anything because there’s a tree in the way.”

Another resident added: “They should be doing a lot more to stop it. They drive their mopeds up and down constantly. And the speeds they go at – it’s dangerous driving.

“They need more cameras to cover the estate.

“If I had kids I wouldn’t let them go out there.”

Cllr Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said: “We respond as fast was we can to this kind of problem.

“These are a small number of young people, habitual, persistent criminals, who are highly mobile.

“They use a location and then move on.

“To be honest, I wasn’t aware that they had returned to the estate until recently. I apologise if any residents have called the council or the police and not got the appropriate response.

“They will get that now – we will swing into action.

“We will identify them, move them on, prosecute them and if necessary evict them.

“We have done it in several other locations across the borough already this year, and we will do it again.”