A HOUSING association has vowed to crackdown on issues of anti-social behaviour which left residents fearing for their safety.

Tom Raine Court, a Salvation Army Housing Association-owned complex of flats, houses people in rehabilitation from drug, alcohol and mental health problems.

However, the Darlington facility has recently been plagued by unsafe living conditions, leaving residents terrified of living there alone.

Gaynor Sheardown, 31, said security locks on doors have been removed, derelict properties are falling into disrepair and trespassers continue to visit.

"There's been constant fighting, there's trouble all the time and the police are always here," she said. "It's been getting worse and worse as weeks and months go by.

"It's making me scared to live here and I don't want to live somewhere like this."

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Now, the housing provider has announced a crackdown on the issues.

Sean Hughes, Executive Director of Operations, Salvation Army Housing Association (SAHA) said: “We understand how distressing anti-social behaviour can be for people living close to Tom Raine Court, but also for our own residents, which is why we are working closely with the police and the local council to address it.

“In particular, we have invested in security and landscaping to make it more difficult for people to congregate. We have installed additional CCTV cameras so that perpetrators can be reported to the police.

"Additional police visits have also been carried out to reassure residents and a housing officer is hosting advice surgeries twice a week."

However, Gayna raised concerns over the timing of the new safety measures after months of disruption.

"Why are they only acting now?" she added.

SAHA also confirmed it will begin inspecting communal doorways on a twice weekly basis and will repair derelict properties.

Mr Hughes added: “Through our work with the police, it has become clear that some of the anti-social behaviour was not caused by our residents, but people visiting the courtyard areas, which is why the CCTV and security measures are so important.

"Since we increased security measures from January 2021, there has been a reduction in reports of anti-social behaviour."

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