Residents in ‘wild’ Southsea block living with ‘neighbours from hell’ being driven out amid police raids as council launch probe

The situation has left residents ‘banging their heads against a brick wall’ following ‘persistent issues’ that have nosedived since March 2021.

Police and Portsmouth City Council have been investigating the troubled flat amid claims of squatters, drug use, a rat infestation, significant noise and disturbance from parties, damage to the property and fly-tipping.

Regular police raids at the building in The Retreat were also reported along with concerns over ‘screaming and banging like someone being thrown around’.

The Southampton management company, SDM Property Ltd, was accused of ‘not doing anything’ despite the firm insisting it ‘dealt with any issues’.

Resident Becky Shepherd, 32, said: ‘There was always some noise when I first moved in but it didn’t really bother me but then it started to get out of control and has become wild.

‘The police are always here. They smashed down the door once which has not been fixed. Drug deals take place on the doorstep.

‘Squatters are allowed to stay and criminals use neighbours addresses fraudulently. There are parties that keep neighbours up throughout the night along with damage to the property and complete disruption to the whole road.

‘I've lived above the particular flat since March 2021 and the situation has been awful since then to the point where my fellow neighbour had to move out of her home at times and I've now done the same. We have been living with neighbours from hell.’

Becky said complaints had been made to the council and police - and even Crimestoppers - in a desperate attempt to restore order. ‘But it seems that responsibility lies in between the various gaps of all the different departments,’ Becky said.

‘Myself and several neighbours are at the end of our tether and we don't know what to do.

‘I am compiling a petition to present to the council in hopes that they might listen and intervene.’

Councillor Darren Sanders, member for housing, said: ‘Concerns about the property were recently raised with the council, and we're taking these very seriously.

‘An investigation is under way, so we can't go into details which may prejudice a case.

‘We have a number of powers to deal with poorly managed properties and rogue landlords, and we work closely with partners such as the police, who are the lead enforcer for anti-social behaviour.

‘We would encourage residents to report issues like this to us and to police so that they can be investigated and acted upon.’

Police said they had dealt with a ‘handful’ of domestic issues since the start of the year, before a spokeswoman added: ‘We would encourage residents that if there are anti-social behaviour issues at the address to please report them to us. If we know the scale of any issues we can target our resources in the area as necessary.’

Call police on 101 or go to their website. In an emergency call 999.

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SDM Property Ltd director Daniel Nicholls said he was aware of ‘previous issues’ that were ‘always resolved’ but insisted ‘nothing has come up for months’ with no contact from residents.

He added: ‘We’ve dealt with any issues. It’s been a fairly quiet time.’