Trail of diarrhoea and used needles found at Coventry horror flats

Local, national, international and oddball news stories

Trail of diarrhoea and used needles found at Coventry horror flats

Postby dutchman » Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:04 pm

A disgusted mother told the Telegraph there is also blood on the walls at Cephas Court

Image

A mum has told of the “living hell” she and her children have to go through, dodging used needles, condoms and even diarrhoea at their housing complex in Coventry.

The disgusting list of problems at Cephas Court, in Charles Street, Hillfields, also includes drug users injecting themselves and even taking crack in front of residents, as well as blood on the walls.

Sadly, the mum-of-three says the troubles have existed for years and claims Orbit Housing, who run the housing block, are doing nothing.

The 37-year-old, who wished not to be named, said: “We’ve got so-called security doors that keep getting broken open - this has been happening all year.

“They replace them and then they just get broken again.

“We keep finding people inside, who blatantly don’t care who sees them, injecting themselves and then eventually going off.

“On a daily basis we have needles being left around and also cans with burn marks on them which I’m told is people doing crack.

“When my friend is here I will sometimes be brave enough to go and ask them to leave, but some can be confrontational.

“There’s also condoms all over the place inside and outside, and most recently there is a trial of diarrhoea all the way down the stairs and a pile just below the post boxes.

“I have children who are seeing this. It is disgusting. It’s a living hell.”

The experiences of the mum, who has two teenage girls and a young baby, are not isolated to Cephas Court.

The family of a 93-year-old woman told the Telegraph earlier this year that she was having to remove needles and homeless people from the Orbit Housing-run accommodation in Stoney Stanton Road.

They said that Orbit had failed to act despite numerous complaints, and their words are echoed by the mum at Cephas Court.

She said: “I’ve been trying to get hold of my housing officer but it’s not getting me anywhere.

“I’ve also rang 101 to report it but nobody has even phoned me back.

“I also want to request that the whole place is sanitised. I tell my children not to even touch the bannister.

“If I could I would move today and have been requesting to move for years. I’ve been told to put my name on an exchange list but who would want to come here?”

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: Trail of diarrhoea and used needles found at Coventry horror flats

Postby dutchman » Sat Jan 05, 2019 1:22 am

Coventry horror flats still blighted by drugs after two years

Neighbours at a block of horror Coventry flats say addicts are continuing to break into communal areas to take drugs.

There have been long-running anti-social behaviour issues at Cephas Court, in Hillfields.

In 2016, residents at the flats - run by the Orbit Housing Group - told CoventryLive that they had to dodge used needles and condoms just to get to their front doors.

One mum at the time stated that she often came face-to-face with people injecting themselves or taking crack after they had broken into the flats, and described the situation as a “living hell”.

Now residents are once again pleading for help.

A petition signed by 15 people living at the flats has been sent to Coventry City Council in a bid to end their nightmare.

It specifically mentions drug use, drug dealing, forced entry to communal areas and damage to property.

The petition will be considered at a council meeting on Thursday, January 10.

West Midlands Police data shows a total of 33 logs for Cephas Court from January 1, 2018 to December 1, 2018.

A large proportion of those reports relate to criminal damage, drug taking, windows being smashed and people gaining entry to the building via breaking the fire door and main doors.

During the same time period, the council was contacted twice about problems at Cephas Court.

One on June 6 reported fly-tipping in the area, while the other on November 19 reported drug misuse.

Back in 2016, photos from Cephas Court showed forgotten drug paraphernalia and blood splattered on the walls and windows.

The report prepared for the council meeting states: "The main issue concerned a spate of ongoing incidents during 2018, during which some local resident’s witnessed the main entry door being vandalised to gain entry and using the communal areas to use drugs, by unknown persons."

Deputy leader of Coventry City Council, Abdul Khan, who is also the cabinet member for policing and equalities, is recommended to instruct West Midlands Police, Orbit Housing Group and council officers to continue monitoring the Hillfields flats.

He is also recommending to encourage residents to report incidents as soon as they occur.

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: Trail of diarrhoea and used needles found at Coventry horror flats

Postby dutchman » Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:21 am

Flat block plagued by drug users "not fit to live in"

“Terrified” residents at a block of flats in Coventry fear a drug dealer is living among them, causing years of misery for their estate.

Property damage, forced entry, drug use, and other anti-social behaviour has been reported at Cephas Court, in Charles Street, Hillfields, for more than two years, a meeting has been told.

Residents say the area now has an issue with rats, adding their homes are also filled with damp – leaving some children on medication.

They also believe they know the identity of an alleged drug dealer living among them, even filming them in the act, but they say no action has been taken.

Police have been monitoring the issue at the Orbit Housing Group property but a sergeant has admitted tracking the drug users has become “a cat and mouse chase”.

Joan Haywood, a spokesman for the residents, said they are “suffering greatly”.

At a council meeting on Thursday, she said: “Children can’t come out of their house, they struggle to go to school, they are exposed not just to the residue of drugs and the danger they cause but people are physically taking drugs.

“People can’t put their washing out because their clothes are used for blood and bodily residue.

“There is dampness in the properties. A number of children are on medication.”

Cllr Pervez Akhtar labelled the accommodation “not fit to live in”.

Ms Haywood, from neighbouring St Peter’s Centre, said offenders are even using their conference centre to go to the toilet, leading to a problem with rats.

She added residents believe they know the identity of an alleged drug dealer and have reported this to both Orbit and the police.

Police sergeant Sherrie Kimberley said: “They did have some footage but the quality is not great. They are terrified as they have been caught filming it.

“We have tried to visit Cephas Court and see who is responsible for the drug taking and criminal damage but unfortunately we have not been able to find out.

“Our patrols have increased but when we are there they are not and when we go they come back.

"It is a bit of a cat and mouse situation.”

Orbit was invited to the meeting but did not attend, which Cllr Allan Andrews labelled as “completely unacceptable”.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle said the site had not been backed by Orbit with improvements.

That is despite a council officer admitting around 50 per cent of the cost to convert the site from a church into flats – thought to be around £4.5 million – was met by the public purse.

Cllr O’Boyle added: “They are still collecting the rent from the residents and they are still the beneficiaries of a significant amount of money from the government a number of years ago to make that happen, so they have a responsibility.”

He also called for the housing developer to commit in writing to the steps they are taking to resolve the issue.

The council agreed to his recommendation, and also agreed to refer the issue to their housing enforcement team who will visit the site.

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End


Return to News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

  • Ads