Disabled woman driven out of home by anti-social behaviour

A DISABLED woman in Ely has been forced to move, after describing herself as a “prisoner in her own home” due to anti-social behaviour.
The 54-year-old, who does not wish to be named to protect her safety, is to be moved from her flat in Hollycroft Close after suffering from severe anxiety caused by drug abuse and violent behaviour nearby.
Problems included people banging on her window during the night to ask for money for drugs and people fighting outside her bedroom window. As a result, the woman said she is too afraid to leave the house.
Other neighbours in the woman’s block and another nearby have voiced concerns over used needles and foil spoons left in the communal garden, causing safety concerns for their children and pets.

The woman, who is partially sighted and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, first applied to move house in July but was soon moved onto a high priority list after letters were written to Cardiff Council from the University Hospital Wales and Llandough Hospital.
In one letter, the hospital said there were fears for the woman’s safety because her medication is valued at £50 per tablet and that may make her a target for thieves.
Another letter from the University Hospital in Llandough explained that her “high anxiety levels” have been caused by “a direct result of living in close proximity to people who have demonstrated (reportedly) illegal, unpredictable and volatile behaviours and lifestyles.”
Other neighbours have said that anti-social behaviour and drug abuse has caused issues for them too. A 42-year-old woman explained that her grandchildren are not allowed to visit due to the used needles in the garden.
She added that it is often left to the residents or communal cleaners to clear the mess and now she too wishes to move.
Her partner also complained that constant shouting and swearing in the area is making it difficult to sleep.
This included two men demanding to be let into the apartment block at 4am on Monday and 1am on Tuesday morning.
Another resident, aged 36, said: “You can’t ignore it when it’s at two or three in the morning.”
Ely Councillor Jim Murphy said that problems with drugs and verbal abuse in Hollycroft Close have been going on for over six months.
He explained the problem was brought up in a Police and Community Together (PACT) meeting but said despite this “nothing seems to be done” so far.
PCSO Matthew Parry confirmed that the antisocial behaviour in Hollycroft Close has been made a priority at PACT meetings.
He said that South Wales Police will now work with Cardiff Council to keep an eye on the area and begin to collect evidence.
He confirmed that some residents were “not happy” with the issue but said regular patrols are being made in the neighbourhood.
According to a police crime map, 21 cases of antisocial behaviour were reported in Hollycroft Close in the first eight months of 2016, compared to seven cases in both 2015 and 2014.
When asked how many complaints Cardiff Council had received regarding the street, we were told to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.