Post by Joe K on Oct 31, 2013 12:08:53 GMT
Vandals make life a misery for pensioner
SMASHED doors and fences being set alight are just some of the things 81-year-old Sylvia Long has had to put up with outside her Barton home.
Sylvia, who lives in Melbourne Street East, has been a victim of vandalism for the past seven years.
She said: "It is just terrible. I have been at Gloucester City Council about this, but they say they know about it."
She blames people using an alleyway to the rear of her home.
"A while back they kicked the back door of my house in, when they saw me they ran away. They also set fire to my fence," she said.
"I believe prostitution also takes place in the alleyway."
Gloucester City Council recently removed a tree outside the back of the property in an attempt to stop the vandalism.
But Sylvia, who is also known as Sheila, fears the incidents may not stop.
She said: "They have left a big stump from the tree but I now think they could still climb over from that. I recently had to get a workman to come and put barbed wire to stop people from getting in. I had to pay for that myself."
The former wartime nurse says she often sees youngsters hanging around the alleyways.
Ward councillor Usman Bhaimia said: "This elderly lady used to be a nurse who served our country and now she is being treated like this.
"It is a real shame to see this happening. This sort of behaviour needs to stop."
A city council spokeswoman said: "The city council will consider a gating order, wherever it is concluded to be the most appropriate measure for reducing anti-social behaviour or crime and disorder arising from the relevant highway.
"The process involves an initial consultation with nearby residents and businesses and a further consultation with statutory undertakers and emergency services, so the decision to gate an alley can sometimes take a number of months before it is made."
A spokesman from Gloucestershire police, said: "While we are aware of some anti-social behaviour in that area we do not believe there are prostitutes working in or close to that alleyway.
"In fact our vulnerable persons officer has been out in the Barton area with local outreach workers recently and found that the issue of prostitution has reduced markedly. We understand it had been and remains a community concern and we are continuing to work with our partner agencies to help find the handful of prostitutes in the area, who are often victims themselves, a way to turn their lives around."
Lisa Howarth, from Gloucester City Homes, said: "There have been no issues reported to us relating to anti-social behaviour in this particular area however we will ensure that this is investigated thoroughly and action is taken where appropriate."
SMASHED doors and fences being set alight are just some of the things 81-year-old Sylvia Long has had to put up with outside her Barton home.
Sylvia, who lives in Melbourne Street East, has been a victim of vandalism for the past seven years.
She said: "It is just terrible. I have been at Gloucester City Council about this, but they say they know about it."
She blames people using an alleyway to the rear of her home.
"A while back they kicked the back door of my house in, when they saw me they ran away. They also set fire to my fence," she said.
"I believe prostitution also takes place in the alleyway."
Gloucester City Council recently removed a tree outside the back of the property in an attempt to stop the vandalism.
But Sylvia, who is also known as Sheila, fears the incidents may not stop.
She said: "They have left a big stump from the tree but I now think they could still climb over from that. I recently had to get a workman to come and put barbed wire to stop people from getting in. I had to pay for that myself."
The former wartime nurse says she often sees youngsters hanging around the alleyways.
Ward councillor Usman Bhaimia said: "This elderly lady used to be a nurse who served our country and now she is being treated like this.
"It is a real shame to see this happening. This sort of behaviour needs to stop."
A city council spokeswoman said: "The city council will consider a gating order, wherever it is concluded to be the most appropriate measure for reducing anti-social behaviour or crime and disorder arising from the relevant highway.
"The process involves an initial consultation with nearby residents and businesses and a further consultation with statutory undertakers and emergency services, so the decision to gate an alley can sometimes take a number of months before it is made."
A spokesman from Gloucestershire police, said: "While we are aware of some anti-social behaviour in that area we do not believe there are prostitutes working in or close to that alleyway.
"In fact our vulnerable persons officer has been out in the Barton area with local outreach workers recently and found that the issue of prostitution has reduced markedly. We understand it had been and remains a community concern and we are continuing to work with our partner agencies to help find the handful of prostitutes in the area, who are often victims themselves, a way to turn their lives around."
Lisa Howarth, from Gloucester City Homes, said: "There have been no issues reported to us relating to anti-social behaviour in this particular area however we will ensure that this is investigated thoroughly and action is taken where appropriate."
Any my reply (my account seems to have been disabled):
That's the problem, though, isn't it? No matter how much residents complain about poor service, Gloucester City Homes' rejoinder is that 'no issues have been reported to us'. Sheila raised the roof about this going on for years at the TETRA meeting on October 7th, and not for the first time. Isn't it time to ditch that cop-out response?
Edit: technically, it's Sheila's 'Tredworth' home. Tony Ward won't be happy to hear otherwise...
