Residents fed up with drug dealing at Lincoln tower block

Drug users have become a menace in a Lincoln tower block, a man claims.

The Shuttleworth House tenant says he has seen buyers passed out, taking drugs in stairwells and even threatening those who live there.

The council-owned tower block reopened to great fanfare in 2016 after a multi-million pound refurbishment.

However, he says that residents now feel forgotten by the authorities.

City of Lincoln Council say they haven’t received any concerning reports from the flats in recent weeks, and respond quickly to any complaints.

“It’s not unusual to find groups of 12 people who don’t live here smoking or taking drugs in the stairwells,” the resident, who asked not to be named, said.

“They buy from people in the building and hang around.

“The caretakers have to clean up vomit, urine and excrement on a daily basis.

“I came across someone the other day who was sprawled out on the floor, off his head.

“A friend came home to a whole bunch in the corridor with a boom box, and they stayed outside until stupid o’clock.

“Everyone knows not to challenge them though. Another resident was recently threatened by one.”

The building received a £3.2million refurbishment in 2016.

Cameras have just been fitted to cover the fire escapes, which are often broken by people trying to get access.

“The doors have to be repaired at least once a month. Cameras are a small victory – hopefully they will be monitored properly,” the resident said.

“We used to have a night caretaker every day, but now it’s just four days a week.

“I have reported the problems to the council and police countless times, but nothing seems to have improved.

“We’re paying rent and council tax, and for what?”

Lincolnshire Police said they weren’t aware of anti-social behaviour issues in the building.

Abbey ward Councillor Martin Christopher said: “It was deeply concerning to learn that people were gaining entry via the fire escapes unchecked. I hope the additional CCTV now placed at each fire escape will reduce this behaviour and offer greater peace of mind for residents in the block.

“Our Labour leadership forget the people we represent live out the majority of their lives in the housing estates and their homes, not the city centre.”

Keeley Johnson, Tenancy Services Manager at City of Lincoln Council, said: “Our night caretaking service at Shuttleworth House is in place for four nights per week, but we have an on-call service for the remaining three nights.

“A small part of their role is to address and, where possible, prevent anti-social behaviour taking place. This service is provided by the council and is not recharged to tenants through their rent.

“We recently upgraded the CCTV on site to ensure blind spots were covered. These are monitored on a 24/7 basis.

“Any reports of anti-social behaviour are taken very seriously and dealt with quickly, however, have received no reports in recent weeks that have caused us concern.”

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