Stratford residents say lives are ‘made hell’ by anti-social behaviour
RESIDENTS in South Green Drive, in Stratford, say their lives are “hellish”, thanks to anti-social behaviour.
One, who the Herald is not naming for safety reasons, described witnessing drug deals in broad daylight and being woken constantly by shouting matches and violent brawls late at night and into the early hours.
The disturbances centre on two housing association-owned properties, which it is thought may be used to deal in heroin and crack.
Flashy cars come and go at all hours of the day and night, loitering long enough for the driver or passenger to be passed a small package – believed to be Class A drugs – through the window before zooming off.
A stream of people on foot and push-bikes are also believed to be customers.
The resident, who’s lived in the area for many years, says the problem became much worse almost two years ago.
They said: “Citizens like me are desperate to get the neighbourhood cleaned up after years of hellish anti-social behaviour.”
But they claim it is a “never-ending, uphill battle” to get police to take meaningful action.
“I’m mentally exhausted and don’t know what else I have to do,” they added.
“It’s disappointing, given I’m trying to get my neighbourhood cleansed of this persistent blight on the community.”
A spokesperson for Orbit housing, which owns the properties, said: “We do not condone anti-social behaviour in any of our properties and understand the negative impact that these issues have on other residents.
“We’re listening to the concerns raised by residents and thanks to the information they’ve provided, we’re working closely with the local authority and police to take appropriate action including pursuing legal action for breach of tenancy.
“We encourage all of our customers to continue to report incidents of anti-social behaviour to the police as well as ourselves as we work together to deter and prevent similar issues in the future.”
Stratford’s Sgt Price of Warwickshire Police, said: “While we cannot comment on individual cases, we welcome reports of suspicious activity and officers across the county regularly take action based on these reports.
“It is always best that residents report crimes and submit intelligence via 101 or www.warwickshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
“You can also submit information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.”
