Residents of a street in Welwyn Garden City are "at the end of their tether" after months of complaints regarding anti-social behaviour have gone unnoticed.
Occupants of Madison House and Trinity House on Bessemer Road have made multiple complaints to the police and their housing association over the past six months claiming to witness brawls, drug deals, and alleged cuckooing, adding that the building's back door is broken.
The most recent disturbance occurred on Thursday, January 5, after reports were made about a man in possession of a knife.
Herts Police said: "Police were called at 2.38pm on Thursday, January 5, to a disturbance at a flat in Bessemer Road.
"It was reported that a man was in possession of a knife.
"Officers attended the scene and arrested a 21-year-old man from Welwyn Garden City on suspicion of making threats to kill.
"He was subsequently sectioned under the Mental Health Act."
Both Madison House and Trinity House are Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) properties.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "We are just sick of the anti-social behaviour going on here.
"It is not unfamiliar for me to wake up in the morning or for my fellow residents to take their kids to school and step over homeless people in our stairwells, get attacked, and witness people taking class A drugs.
"To get into our block, we tap in a code that has been widely distributed across the whole of Hertfordshire so anyone can walk in. Along with that, the back door is also broken, and we have made multiple complaints.
"We have had to contact the police about a back door that has been broken since August, that MTVH have not bothered fixing.
"We are just sick of it."
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Herts Police added: "The local Safer Neighbourhood Team are aware of ongoing anti-social behaviour issues within the block of flats and are working closely with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and the housing association to tackle the matter."
Another resident from the flat said: " I have been feeling increasingly uncomfortable in recent months.
"Across a period of months, we have had homeless people, drug takers etc gaining access inside out flats.
"As normal our landlord MTVH passes on the 'responsibility' to the police, the council, social services - anyone but themselves.
"This is not an isolated incident."
A spokesperson for MTVH said: “Everyone rightly expects to live with a feeling of safety and security.
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"We sympathise with residents in Bessemer Road, who have recently not been able to take this for granted.
"We take all reports of anti-social behaviour very seriously. That is why we have been working closely with the Council’s ASB Team and local policing teams to identify those responsible for this behaviour and to ensure that appropriate measures are taken against them.
"As such MTVH has instigated legal proceedings against individual residents for tenancy breaches.
"In addition, we are meeting with representatives from the blocks affected and have a coordinator on-site each day with access to CCTV systems, in order to monitor any future issues.
"We hope these measures will also protect the physical environment and act as a deterrent. The door at Madison House is being fixed as a matter of urgency.”
Previously, residents from the same flats have made complaints to the police and MTVH regarding loud mechanical noises from the Grace Foods factory across the road.
The tenants claimed that multiple residents are now trying to move out of the accommodation as they are "sick of it".
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