Elderly resident at block of flats in Northampton says 'multiple prostitutes are keeping her up at night'

The resident, who this newspaper did not name to protect her, said issues at Balmoral Place, in Kingsthorpe, force others to “live behind locked doors.”

According to the resident, issues at the residence, managed by Mears Group PLC, include shouting prostitutes coming in and out of the building, suspected drug use, and antisocial behaviour.

All tenants on site are over 55, have disabilities, and want to live independently with personalized care designed for their needs.

The female resident said: “Last weekend, I was woken at 11:30 pm; a prostitute was shouting up at the windows because a resident wouldn’t answer. Then she was back at 2:30 am, then 4:30 am, then another arrived at 5:30 am. I had two hours of sleep that night. What they do is press the buzzer for the resident; if they don't answer, they start bellowing up at the window. They say all sorts, like, ‘Let me in, I need a lift home.’ If they don’t get any joy, they start pressing the buzzers of different residents.

"I’ve reported this to Mears, but the answer is ‘What do you want me to do about it?’ or ‘What can I do about it?’. They’re skirting around the issue.

“We said at a residents’ meeting last week, ‘How would you like it if your mothers and sisters were living here under these circumstances?’ Management didn’t answer.”

She continued: “When we moved in in 2020, there were great expectations of building a community, and everybody used to meet in the garden, but now nobody uses the garden because we’ve got this prostitute issue going on and everything else.

"We’ve got people with Alzheimer’s here, dementia, heart issues, cancer, so it should be a quiet community where we should be at peace, but that’s not the case.

"I’ve blocked my garden and flat off so I feel I’ve got a bit of security. I never enter the main building. My front door is constantly locked. I have a Ring doorbell, and I don’t answer until I’ve looked through the door. You can’t fully relax. You just don’t know whether there’s going to be trouble.”

The woman says she pays around £1,500 a month in total to live on site.

Mears Group response

A spokesman for Mears Group’ said: “We are sorry to hear of our customer’s concerns. We are aware of the issues and are continuing to work hard to reach a resolution. We recognise that on this occasion it is taking longer to resolve, and we apologise for this.

“We would like to reassure residents that we take all reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and we would encourage residents to continue to report any issues of anti-social behaviour to us and to the Police where appropriate. We hold regular tenant meetings and work closely with our residents on issues that matter to them.

“The safety of our residents is our priority, and we will always take appropriate action to resolve any issues of concern.”