Living next door to a crack den has left “mentally tortured” neighbours claiming to suffer from PTSD.
Residents were forced to endure fighting prostitutes, all-night parties, drug deals, and even condoms and human faeces left in the street.
According to GazetteLive, town major Andy Preston said that neighbours were subjected to “round-the-clock abuse, drugs dealing and violence”.
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One woman told how she avoided having her head blown off after cops found a gun at the property – which has since been shut down by Cleveland Police for three months.
During the raid on January 13, it’s understood officers seized the firearm as well as a number of drugs.
(Image: Teesside Live)
The tenant and three men were arrested and subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply.
One anonymous resident said there was prostitution, they were finding crack pipes, windows were smashed in, dogs were running wild, needles were discarded everywhere, used condoms scattered, and there was even human poo on the green.
She added: “We have been tortured mentally. I am down with PTSD, stress and anxiety.
“You wouldn’t believe what we have seen. On Christmas day there were queues along the front for drug drop-offs. I didn’t have a Christmas this year, they were fighting, arguing, and taking drugs.
(Image: Teesside Live)
“She was often smoking a crack pipe in the window with no curtains up while the kids were walking past to school. It’s like Shameless around here.
“The dark nights were the worst. The kids have got their balaclavas on, you can’t see their faces so you don’t know who it is. It’s bedlam, it’s like the Bronx.”
The resident recalled a horrifying incident where a young girl was rushed to the hospital after standing on one of the needles.
Speaking about the house closure, Inspector Darren Birkett of Cleveland Police said: “This kind of behaviour has a huge impact on the community and makes residents’ lives an absolute misery.
“We will not allow anti-social behaviour or criminality in any form in our communities and we are committed to tackling issues raised by residents.”
Mr Preston said: “The message is crystal clear – if you’re enduring this sort of vile anti-social behaviour, speak to us in confidence and we’ll take the action needed to get rid of the troublemakers. We will keep moving people like this until they either get sick and leave our town or change their ways.”
Executive director of customer services David Ripley at Thirteen Housing Group, who owns the property, said that keeping customers safe in their homes and neighbourhoods was a main priority.
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