Vandalised home called a disgrace

Neighbours and councillors are calling on a housing association to tidy up an empty home that has been broken into and vandalised.

The three-bedroom house on Lincoln Court, Newark, which has not been lived in for more than a year, is being used as a meeting place by youths.

Broken glass, furniture, carpets, plasterboard and children’s toys have been left strewn over the back garden. The fence has also been damaged.

The inside of the property has been vandalised. There are broken doors and windows, and more rubbish has been dumped.

Mrs Gill Dawn, who represents the area on Newark and Sherwood District Council, described the situation as an absolute disgrace.

“No one has lived here for months and it is gradually getting worse,” said Mrs Dawn. “It has been a mess for quite a while.

“We have a housing waiting list with 4,500 people on and someone will be desperate for a lovely home like this.

“It is a grave concern that youngsters are using this.

“It is also a fire hazard because of all the rubbish there.

“It must be sheer agony for the next-door neighbours putting up with this.”

Mrs Irene Brown, also a district council ward member, said: “The people who need to listen are not listening.”

'We feel intimidated'

A mother-of-four, who lives near the house, said: “There are a lot of people going in and out of the house.

“There are always children in there making noise.

“People are smoking drugs as well. We feel intimidated.”

The neighbour said fencing had been stolen from her garden.

She said two of her children were autistic and felt they could not play in their back garden any more.

Another neighbour said their bedroom wall had mould and she believed it was because the vandalised house was empty and not heated.

“I heard that all the piping has been taken out of the house and the electrics have gone,” she said.

The property is let through a tenancy agreement with affordable housing provider PA Housing.

A spokesman for PA Housing said: “We are aware of the issues at Lincoln Court and we have been working closely with the current tenant to take all appropriate action to improve the appearance of the property.

“PA Housing understands the urgency and need for social housing more acutely than most, and our point of priority is to facilitate as many people in need as we possibly can.

“We are doing everything possible to optimise the situation for all parties involved.”