Residents living in the Holyland have been forced to find somewhere else to sleep due to successive nights of anti-social behaviour.
On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday those living in the South Belfast district have said they have been plagued by street drinking and anti-social behaviour into the early hours of the morning.
There have also been reports of criminal damage to property as a result of the issues.
Read more: 'Sex doll' left outside Holyland property yards from local school condemned
Some residents were forced to leave and find somewhere else to sleep due to the loud partying, while one elderly resident has had to flee after their window was smashed on Tuesday night.
There have also been concerns raised that the anti-social behaviour took place while there was an active police operation in order to reduce these problems.
Residents have said that something needs to be done to address the issue urgently as people are living in fear every night.
Although they have also said that there appears to be fewer students living in the area this year compared to last.
Alliance South Belfast councillor Micky Murray said he attended the Holyland on Monday night following reports of noise from residents and said within five minutes he saw someone breaking the window of a property.
He said: "The local residents have been regenerating the area, organising community events and taking ownership of public spaces in a bid to create a better sense of community.
"One week into the academic year, and already we’ve seen streets littered with broken glass, broken windows, a substantial amount of noise complaints – and residents leaving their homes in the middle of the night.
"Within five minutes of being in the area on Monday night I witnessed a window of a property being broken and spoke to a family member of a resident who had to leave their home at 2am on Monday morning due to the levels of noise and anti-social behaviour.
"This is a residential area, there is no need for the sheer amount of people living in one densely-populated place.
"The reputation of the Holyland as a student area breeds anti-social behaviour. We know that people involved in incidents are students, their visitors to the area and young people who are still in secondary school."
SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said it is "time for action" to address the ongoing issues in the Holyland.
Cllr McKeown added: "It's extremely frustrating, but not unexpected, to witness yet again trouble in this area. There has been a real effort in the community to improve the surroundings, with tree planting, transformation of spaces and the creation of beautiful artworks on gable walls but sadly some people have no respect for the area or their neighbours.
"I am aware of the significant level of planning and resourcing that the police, council and universities have put in place over the freshers' period this year but while enforcement and penalties for those responsible are important, the reality is that we aren't going to police our way out of this problem.
"For too long, there has been an appalling lack of effective collaborative action by government departments in facing up to the challenges created by years of mismanagement of this area, leaving it to residents, frontline council workers and ratepayers to take the hit on trying to keep on top of things.
"Sadly this just results in everyone being caught in a cyclical response mode rather than getting to the fundamentals of why these things keep happening.
"It's important to note that the vast majority of students and young people in this area cause no trouble whatsoever, and are themselves victims of this behaviour too.
"This area has so much potential, given its proximity to the city centre, Queen's University, and Botanic Gardens and Ormeau Park, and there's no reason why the neighbourhood couldn't accommodate students, workers, families and longer-term residents if a real effort is put into reimagining the area.
"We need to see genuine cross-departmental efforts to properly address the underlying issues which cause the continual problems here. No more talking shops – it's time for action."
Police have said they are investigating a report of criminal damage following the elderly resident's window being broken.
A spokesperson added: "Police received a report of criminal damage this morning, Wednesday 21st September, shortly before 8am in the Rugby Avenue area of south Belfast.
"It was reported that a window at a property had been damaged sometime between 10pm last night, Tuesday September 20, and 7.30am this morning, Wednesday September 21. Enquiries are ongoing."
Chief Inspector Finola Dornan said: “We have increased policing resources dedicated to the wider area and will continue to robustly address any anti-social or criminal behaviour in the coming days and weeks.
“The safety of students and the wellbeing of the wider local community is a priority for us. Over the past month, we have been working closely with our university partners and Belfast City Council to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.
“Our message to students is straightforward – be respectful of your neighbours, don’t become involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour and abide by university codes of conduct. Involvement in such activity could ultimately affect your education, future travel and employment opportunities.
“Our student safety campaign is communicating this message and crime prevention advice directly to students and across our social media channels. Officers have been, and will continue to be, visible and accessible in the local community, reinforcing these messages and ensuring that we are there when needed.
“We will be working with partners on the ground to prevent harm and follow up on any issues which arise in the local area. We would ask for parents and others in positions of influence to help us bring home to students that anti-social behaviour has consequences, including a very real impact on people who are living in the area.”
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