A gay couple have told of their constant struggle with homophobia in Haringey.

Teacher Siobhan Wesley and her partner, charity worker Patricia Macleod, say they are subjected to threatening sexual and homophobic abuse in public on an almost daily basis.

The pair live separately in the Green Lanes area of Haringey but spend a significant amount of time together as a couple in public.

This has exposed them to an escalating level of threatening sexual behaviour from people, predominantly men, and violent threats and abuse purely because they appear together in public as a gay couple.

Ms Wesley, 29, said: “All the time this happens, we’re just walking along the street and we get people yelling sexual insults at us, men shouting what they’d like us to do to them and people just screaming ‘lezzers’ at us.”

Recently the couple were saying goodbye at the end of Siobhan’s street when a man exposed himself to them and began to sexually insult them for no apparent reason.

Ms Macleod, 29, who is originally from Lancashire, said: “We were really angry and upset when we got home, our emotions went from rage to tears, we were in shock really.

“It makes us feel unsafe to just be who we are in public spaces and is making it difficult for both of us to be trusting of new people that we meet.

“We have started to almost pre-empt this sort of behaviour when walking down the street and we have to try really hard not to be suspicious of people.”

The couplemoved to the capital years ago from Lancashire and Cheshire and are attached to Haringey, they enjoy living in the borough but feel that more could be done to combat behaviour like this and educate people.

Ms Wesley said : “There’s a really nice community feel in Green Lanes, it’s one of the things we love most about Haringey.

“We feel that more could be done to educate both schoolchildren and adults about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and communities.

“For adults particularly, making them aware that queer people exist in this area, that it’s completely normal and that the comments they make are offensive and against the law is vital.

“We’re grateful for the existing support structures in place but if these things are still happening, this regularly, then more needs to be done.”

Anybody can report LGBT hate crime via Haringey police community safety unit on 0208 345 1939 or by contacting the Haringey police LGBT liaison officer on 020 8345 0987.