Drug-dealing and antisocial behaviour blighting Teddington estate

Francis Court: Residents said the situation had got worse

People living at Francis Court, in Little Queens Road, have reported seeing heroin and crack cocaine used on the premises and have found paraphernalia associated with hard drug use littered around the area.

Jeremy Gill, who lives in Francis Court, said he has witnessed antisocial behaviour first hand on numerous occasions, had been threatened and had disposable children’s nappies posted through his letterbox.

He said: “We noticed needles and things appearing in the car park and I kept seeing stuff appear in the garden.

“I have seen men smoking crack or heroin using burning bits of foil paper.”

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP), which manages the estate, had been very helpful in the past with dealing with similar issues but its response in relation to recent problems has been unsatisfactory.

He said: “This block has attracted a lot of really unsavoury types and we have been in the situation where there have been guys scoring drugs and leaving needles and other evidence of drug use in this area.”

The man has raised the issue with MP for Twickenham Tania Mathias, who has scheduled an appointment at her surgery to discuss what can be done, but said RHP had failed to address the problems.

He said: “It seems they are waiting for the situation to really escalate before they do anything.

“To come home and not know if there is going to be someone shooting up on your doorway or if there will be a domestic row or who is going to be there, it has a huge impact on your state of wellbeing and anxiety.”

A woman who lives alone in the apartment block said different people were coming at all times of day and night, and RHP had created a “drug dealers’ paradise”.

Mess: People said they were afraid to leave washing on the line

She said: “This community is falling apart and we are worried about putting our things out on clothes lines and now all double-lock our doors. RHP are terrible landlords. They don’t look after communities at all.

“All they are interested in is ticking boxes and the truth is they are terrible landlords.

“They have almost destroyed our community.”

A spokesman for RHP said the company took its customers’ safety very seriously and was committed to taking action regarding antisocial behaviour.

He said: “We’re working closely with the police in relation to the reported behaviour at Francis Court and appropriate action has been taken.

“As this is an on-going legal matter we can’t go into greater detail, but we encourage our customers to contact our antisocial behaviour team for further updates.”