Slough families' relief as filthy drug den is closed

The anti-social behaviour from residents in a first floor flat in Woodland Avenue, Slough was caused by drug taking and led to stinking pile of rubbish building up around the property, police being called to fights and a rat infestation.

Hapless neighbours complained of faeces and used toilet paper being lobbed at their windows by the occupants of the flat. In addition, one horrified family with an eight-week old baby complained of a foul smelling liquid running down their living room wall. It was urine seeping through the walls and floorboards.

A diary of anti-social behaviour was started in May 2018 by Slough Borough Council’s housing and regulations team and despite working with the landlord Mohammed Nazar during 2018 the situation escalated.

In March 2019 a person was found seriously ill from a suspected heroin overdose and a council team found a rat infestation with rodents running up and down the curtains. Stinking rubbish outside represented a risk to the health of everyone in the block.

The council’s housing regulation team issued an emergency prohibition notice to stop people sleeping or living in the flat. But the flat was then taken over by squatters.

In September this year neighbours complained of being subjected to faeces and used toilet paper being thrown at their windows and into their gardens.

They also had diaried a catalogue of fights and arguments and the number of times police had been called.

An order was granted by magistrates in Slough to close the property entirely for three months and remove the people living inside and secure it.

Kurt Henney, Housing and Enforcement Officer for the council's Resilience and Enforcement Team, said: “Neighbours had to put up with absolutely horrendous behaviour by the people who came and went and stayed at the property.

“We will not tolerate landlords who abdicate responsibility and allow their premises to be used by drug users."