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A proud councillor from Harehills who has lived in the area all her life has launched a staunch defence of the Leeds suburb after photos emerged of people disregarding lockdown advice.

Pictures appeared to show children playing football on a Harehills street in close contact with one another while parents stood nearby talking.

The man who captured the photos also claimed the children are hiding from police patrols before returning to the street to carry on playing football.

However, Cllr Salma Arif said that it isn't a specific issue that is only happening in Harehills and pointed out that there are other areas of Leeds where similar things are taking place.

"I'm not going to sit here and say Harehills is all amazing and fantastic," she said.

"We certainly have our issues and we can't hide from that, but so does every other area in Leeds.

"I've had a really good conversation with a local police sergeant and he has reassured me that it's not an issue particularly limited to Harehills. This is not just in Harehills or even in Leeds, but also nationally.

"Unfortunately there are pockets of every city where there are high levels of people who aren't compliant with the new rules."

"However, we do recognise that it's not necessarily a good thing."

Cllr Arif also pointed out that many families in the area do not speak English as their first language, and as the government messages often change daily, it can be difficult for some people to know what the most up-to-date rules are.

However, she is working hard to ensure messages are translated quickly so that everyone can understand.

(Image: Leeds City Council)

"We have worked hard to get messages out in the top 10 languages spoken in the area. It's just about catching up and making people aware.

"We are trying to push those translated messages out so that we can explain the severity to save their families and their children.

"There are still pockets of the community coming out, but it's hoped that will stop with these messages."

While some children seem to be flouting the social distancing guidelines, others are providing a valuable lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in Harehills and surrounding areas.

A number of children are working with Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL) and local charity CATCH, which has grown to help hundreds people over the last 10 years.

'There is so much fantastic stuff happening in Harehills'

"I'm extremely proud to see how quickly they came together," said Cllr Arif. "They are out there every day delivering food to the most vulnerable.

"They are showing hard work and community spirit. This amazing organisation is effectively out there feeding the most vulnerable.

"I have lived in the area all my life, so I know it really well and there is so much fantastic stuff happening in Harehills.

"It's a thriving community and the majority of people support each other and live side by side very, very happily.

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"At times Harehills does get the brunt of bad publicity that it sometimes doesn't deserve, but most of the people here take pride in where they live and they work very hard. There is lots of really good work that happens every day.

"People here don't see Harehills through a prism of bad things. We are defined by something much more than that."