An elderly couple in sheltered accommodation say they have “given up” on both police and the city council after a flat in their block, which had been occupied by a drug dealer until his death, was given to another drug addict.
The address in Causeway Close, off Heigham Street in Norwich, is so notorious it was provided to this newspaper by three different sources within days of our starting our current investigation into the state of drug use in the city.
On Saturday we reported how the police have smashed gang after gang over the last 18 months by analysing dealers’ mobile phone records to make arrests and secure convictions in record time.
It comes as Norwich starts to receive government funding of £5m over three years for Project Adder, which will focus more on treating addicts, as well as providing housing and job training.
But despite the successes, for some who live in estates blighted by drugs the day-to-day experience has changed very little.
Janet and Peter Walker know only too well what drug misuse looks like: they have had to step past it on their way out of the door for years.
'Looking for drugs all night long'
One of the flats in their block was let by Norwich City Council for many years to a man who had struggled with alcohol and drug dependency.
Described by neighbours as friendly and affable, his residence nonetheless became a go-to spot for addicts looking to secure a fix, or for a place to get high, with customers traipsing to and from his door at all hours of the day and night.
He died in late 2019 and despite their personal sadness for him, Mr and Mrs Walker hoped that their quality of life would improve.
Mr Walker, a retired army mechanic, said: “They moved a young man in, a school caretaker I think he was, but he couldn’t stand the druggies, all night long they’re looking for drugs.
“They’re in and out of the building all hours, knocking on his door.
“After two or three weeks he left, and a known drug user was then put in there, and the problems are just the same.”
They said addicts frequently loiter in their stairwell and Janet, 75, who suffers from poor respiratory health, has had to abandon plans to go out to the shops on more than one occasion because she cannot step through the clouds of heavy smoke outside her front door.
Door not secured
The couple complained that their sleep is frequently disturbed by shouting in the middle of the night, and by the banging of the main door which is not secured either by electronic fob or even by a key, so people use the building as a cut-through from one part of the estate to another.
When they walk their dog at night they have to keep him on a tight leash because they never know if there will be broken needles in the bushes.
Neither has ever been attacked or threatened, but they said they are comfortable in their own home.
Mr Walker added: “The other day there were three of them outside, all slurring their words, one of them saying to me repeatedly ‘hey buddy, hey buddy’ when I went out.”
Mrs Walker said: “It goes on all around us, every day, and the doors are banging all night long. We feel intimidated."
“Peter works nights and I’m frightened to go out the door at night even to take the dog for a wee.- with the last man I didn’t feel that.
“I take my mobile phone to bed with me and I keep the door on the chain.”
The couple say that when they call the police they are often told it is a matter for the council, but when they call Norwich City council they are told to contact police.
Mrs Walker said: “We’ve given up calling the police. The last time I called, a young woman was on the steps. She left a huge cloud of thick smoke and I couldn’t breathe.
“I called 101 and it took more than three quarters of an hour for them even to answer the phone and she’d gone by then.”
Mr Walker added: “When we started kicking off, the police said ‘oh yes he’s known to us’.
“But they’ve come round and nothing ever seems to happen. What do you do when one dealer dies and another moves in?"
The couple, however, praised the efforts of their neighbourhood policing team and said that they had seen a reduction in street dealing in recent months.
A Norwich City Council spokesperson said: “We take anti-social behaviour issues very seriously. This is a complex case and we have been working closely with the police to resolve the issues, while jointly engaging with the residents involved.”
A police spokesman said: “Police are aware of concerns of drug related activity in the Causeway Close area.
“Officers regularly speak to local residents to identify issues and have responded to reports of anti-social behaviour with regular patrols and disruption visits to addresses of concern.
“Officers have also been working with local authority housing officers to provide evidence in order to find a long term solution.”
-See Tuesday's newspaper for the latest in our series
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