Spalding couple admit they are ‘scared’ by estate crime

A couple who live on a Spalding housing estate have spoken of the crime they’ve experienced around them and claimed criminals have been targeting vulnerable people to use their homes for drug running.

The couple, who live in the Severn Road area and who wish to remain anonymous, say neighbours have been threatened by a group they say are dealing drugs from nearby homes.

“It’s the usual suspects, well-known to the authorities and local rehabilitation charities,” one of the couple said. “We’ve told the warden, we’ve told the council and the police, but nothing gets done and they just say ‘it takes time’ and ‘we need proof’.

“They still meet and deal their drugs at the same places.

“They take it out of homes where people live alone or have a disability, they’re just preying on the vulnerable.

“They run in and out of these properties at all hours.

“Ourselves and our neighbours get knocks on the door and they ask us to lend them money.

“We’ve been abused and one of our neighbours had paint thrown over her. It took two weeks to get out of her hair.

“We don’t feel safe, even in our own gardens.”

The pair, one of whom is disabled, say they’ve installed extra safety measures into their homes, including cameras.

They’ve asked South Holland District Council to be moved, but face a long wait and say they’ve already spent thousands of their own money on the property to improve accessibility.

“I feel so depressed and scared,” the couple continued. “All the police have done is sent us a panic alarm.

“The only support we’ve had is from the council’s community warden Jason Farmer who has been brilliant, but he only has limited powers.

“Nobody else does anything.”

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police, said: “We work closely with South Holland District Council when reports of crime and anti-social behaviour are reported to us.

“This means our Neighbourhood Policing Team work alongside the council’s Community Wardens and other agencies too, to address issues raised.

“We have worked for several months with some residents of Severn Road including areas of hate crime, drugs and anti-social behaviour.

“We cannot comment directly on the anonymous information but do appeal to anyone who is a victim of either a criminal offence or anti-social behaviour to contact either the local policing team or South Holland District Council.”