AN EYESORE boarded-up house has been dubbed a ‘nightmare’ by neighbours who claim it’s driving down property prices in the area.
Locals claim cops were at the Portsmouth property two or three times a day – and its bathtub was even used as a toilet.
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The semi-detached bungalow is set apart from rest of the neat, tidy houses occupied by retirees by its peeling paint, 5ft brambles, boarded-up windows and overgrown garden.
The road has an average house price of £285,000 but locals are concerned about the scruffy building affecting the prices of other property – especially as the address opposite is now for sale since the owner died.
The boarded-up house has a controversial past, with police being called about public nudity and samurai-sword threats along with drunken fights over the last few years.
The owner was given an order last year to tidy it up, but the council says he has not complied.
Before the trouble began, neighbours said everybody liked the owner but his brother and his girlfriend then moved in with him and caused problems.
Over the next 12 years, neighbours suffered rats, fires, foxes and sewage problems alongside the “serious drunks”.
One neighbour said police were at the property two or three times a day due to the disruption, and the residents would even use their bathtub as a toilet, which was “filled right up to the brim”.
In September 2020, the Fareham Neighbourhood Policing Team secured a closure order for the bungalow in Portchester, Hants, following 90 complaints about anti-social behaviour.
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Retired civil service worker Rita Jones, 89, lives next door to the property and said it has been a “nightmare”.
She revealed: “It was a nightmare. The police were there two or three times a day, and the girlfriend would call the ambulance when she had a hangover.
“For 12 years, we have had to put up with this.
“The brother thought it would be a good idea to set fire to their house, and I have damage all up my wall from it.”
Rats came into my loft from the house as well. There are two families of foxes in their garage now. It’s a state.
Rita Jones, 89
Rita added: “The house owner is a really nice man. Everybody here likes him.
“But there were three people using their bath as a toilet. It was full right up to the rim.
“It’s been a nightmare for 12 years. I just despair at it all.
“It’s so cold here as a result – I have to go to bed in my dressing gown.”
Former electrician Leslie Cole, 86, bought a house on the road 50 years ago.
The father of two said: “I’ve lived with it for years. There were a few young men there, and they were always sitting in the garden, drunk. It got worse every year.”
Fareham Borough Council has been approached for comment.
What are your rights in this situation?
If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council.
Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health.
You could use a mediation service if raising the issue informally does not work, according to Gov.uk.
To complain all you need to do is contact your local council, many have a specialist team to deal with disputes of this nature.
One of the most common neighbourly issues is excessive or unreasonable noise levels.
In the event of an emergency, such as if your neighbour physically attacks you, always call 999.
As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts.
It’s not the first time neighbours have complained about fellow residents.
Taking to Reddit, one resident revealed that his new neighbours had gotten into a habit of playing loud music and singing all hours of the day.
Meanwhile, a mum shared a shocking note she received from a furious neighbour about her children being too “noisy”.
The note asked her to keep her kids down due to the noise they make, but the mum says her children are asleep from 7pm to 7am.
It comes after locals living next to a 10ft “tower” slammed their neighbours for building it as they claim they’ve lost their privacy.
The raised platform attached to a holiday let in Lyme Regis, Dorset, has sparked a row between residents.
Plus, a woman said she’s been left shocked after finding out her neighbours built a fence next to her garden after she told them not to.
The woman said her neighbour had asked her to pay £3,000 for a fence she did not even want.
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