Housing firm vows to take action over anti-social behaviour at Northampton block of flats

A housing company says it has increased security at a block of flats in Northampton after complaints over homeless people sleeping in doorways and corridors.

Residents say they are “infuriated” with the living situation at Bloomsbury House in Guildhall Road, citing issues with homeless people sleeping rough and criminal damage being caused by vandals.

Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), which manages the building, say they taken the situation “very seriously” and have introduced additional security measures.

Thirty-two year-old resident Russell Rainbow, who has lived at the site for eight years, told the Chronicle & Echo what it had been like living in the building and said there had been security issues for a number of years.He said the building was “full” of people sleeping rough.

"There have been pictures of them sleeping in the corridor and blocking people from walking down it,” he said, adding that everyone in the building was sympathetic to the plight of the homeless

He said there had also been issues with vandals and anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, and would-be burglars trying to open residents’ doors.

"Kids and women are scared. My daughter has been scared, she's eight and has epilepsy so she's having a bit of a bad time of it.

"I'm fuming. The bills keep going up. We've all been hit with a letter saying we all owe about £1,000 in the future for them to fix the building, while the multi million pound company does nothing. We bought 25 per cent of the flat because it was supposed to be cheaper living,” he said.

Mr Rainbow also claimed that residents had issues getting answers from the company.

A spokesman for MTVH said it takes vandalism and anti-social behaviour 'very seriously'.

The spokesman said: “Everyone rightly expects to live in safety and comfort. We understand the alarm caused to residents by vandalism at Bloomsbury House and anti-social behaviour in the wider area and take these issues very seriously.

"We wholeheartedly encourage residents to discuss with us any issues they might be facing. Therefore, a new office was recently opened on site, including a drop-in service for residents. Meanwhile, a quarterly residents meeting takes place, providing a forum for discussion."

The housing association says it has taken a 'number of measures' to increase security and 'improve the overall environment' for residents at Bloomsbury House.

"A new CCTV system was recently installed. We are also installing a new door entry system, which we hope will be in place before the end of the year. In the meantime, we have put a 24/7 security presence in place in the area at no cost to residents, to monitor and respond to any suspicious activity," the spokesman said.

"Steps have also been taken to improve the appearance of Bloomsbury House. The outside of the building was recently cleaned by contractors, with graffiti removed. Meanwhile, the internal communal areas have also been repainted.”

The spokesman added that service charges have increased recently due to the rising cost of utilities.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “Our neighbourhood team are aware of this. In a seven day period, we had four reported incidents of ASB.

“One of our PCSOs has been in touch with the landlord who has security starting this week. He is also fixing the door so this will reduce the issues significantly.

“However, anyone who continues to experience issues is encouraged to call us.”