What Jan Green found when she went to her friend's flat - most people would find utterly shocking.
But for the 66-year-old, it's just part of daily life in one of Swansea's most notorious blocks of flats which the people living there have described as a "sh***ole", and with good reason it seems.
People we spoke to living at Griffith John Street say their flats are riddled with mould and damp, there is open drugtaking in the communal areas, and rats run along the corridors. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
Some residents are scared to leave their flats due to anti-social behaviour, with one claiming the flats turned into "something from one of those prison tv shows" at night, with people shouting to their neighbours across the balconies.
Swansea Council has said it has already invested money there and more will follow, while South Wales Police has said it is not aware of high levels of crime there.
Residents have a very different tale to tell.
Jan Green has lived in three different flats in the block, and whilst she said her current one was the cleanest of them, it was still full of mould and damp.
Jan said: "There is black mould in all of the flats, you could bleach it off and paint over it and two weeks later it would come back through.
"The walls of this flat were like this when I moved in. You see the peeling wallpaper, it was exactly like that, I don't think it was cleaned beforehand.
"I've lived in this flat after my flat on the 10th floor was hit with an arson attack. Luckily the fire was contained to one room because I had a smoke alarm, but I was never allowed to go back and get anything from the flat, my mother's teddy was among those things. I don't know what happened to them."
In 2008, Michelle Harkett was killed by her partner Jonathan Donne at the flats. He had stabbed her to death in a row over drugs and left her to die - but only after helping himself to a package of heroin she had concealed in her private parts. Donne pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and the then 31-year-old was jailed indefinitely. Ten years later, in 2018, he was jailed for at least 31 years for tying up and beating to death a pensioner in his own home. That crime happened in Pentrechwyth, around three miles away from where his first victim was killed.
And in 2019 a man was found dead outside the flats there. The circumstances of his death were not known at the time.
Jan said the flats was a dumping ground for undesirable people.
"You would not believe what goes on here, they tend to house junkies, alcoholics, elderly people, paedophiles, you name it they shove them here. In my time here I've seen countless overdoses, my friends have even died."
And then she comes to that shocking discovery in another flat.
"I once went around to a friend's to find his flat full of people he didn't know taking drugs around him whilst he rocked back and forth under a sheet on a mattress."
She continued: "I've seen young boys get beaten up for their dole money, it happened to one of my neighbours, every week people would come and he'd be left with £50 to live on for the week.
"At night in the summer no-one can get a peep of sleep as everyone is hanging out of their windows shouting at each other, it's like one of those prison shows on TV. Residents are scared to say anything because they are worried they are going to get kicked out."
Between January, 2021, and December 2021, 99 crimes were reported in this single street, with the majority of these being violent and sexual offences.
Griffith John Street has become associated with County Lines in recent years, when organised crime groups from large English cities expand their drug dealing operations into smaller locations.
In October, 2018, a court heard how Liam Jones was provided with a flat in the street by a drugs gang to work dealing heroin and cocaine on its behalf.
The flats were mentioned in another court case in January, 2019, involving a boy living in care in London who was abducted by a drugs gang and driven to Swansea to sell heroin and crack cocaine.
Resident, Alan Gabriel has lived in the flats for 10 years, and said he'd spent that decade trying to be relocated.
"People say living here is what you make of it, but I've struggled to make anything nice out of living here. You see a lot of drug taking, a lot of anti-social behaviour. I probably see emergency services here at least every week, if not more," he said.
"I live on the 10th floor, so its a bit quieter, people don't tend to come all the way up here to cause trouble. I don't envy anyone living lower down in the block though."
Alan had his door broken by police before the pandemic as they looked for someone who wasn't in his flat at the time. He claimed he reported his broken door to Swansea Council, but two years later, it was still being held together by plywood.
"I've reported this door so many times now. I can't believe it's been like this for as long as it has."
Alan also claimed to have seen his share of death and injury since living there, saying that two years ago he looked down from his top floor flat to see a woman lying naked on the floor, surrounded by emergency services. It is unknown what happened to the woman.
Alan said: "The crime rate here is definitely getting worse, it's getting louder at night, there's music blaring constantly. It's no way to live."
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said he didn't want his son to visit if he could help it, because the conditions were that bad.
"Every time my son has been over, his mum accuses me of smoking around him, as he always goes home stinking of smoke. You can smell it in the air, it's no environment for a kid.
"I've seen women sticking needles in their legs in the corridors, I try my best to shield my son from as much as I can, but there's only so much I can do.
Whilst talking, the resident's son pointed out a hole in the wall where he'd seen rats come from. He also pointed out where he'd seen drug users slumped next to a wall, and told tales of the lifts smelling of urine, and his dad confirmed that people used the lifts as toilets.
"It's absolutely disgusting, the stairs are no better, but at least they have CCTV in them now."
The resident claimed he'd seen six people die at the flats in the seven years he had lived there. South Wales Police confirmed that there had been deaths at the location over the past 11 years, however none of them were suspicious.
Sian Jones was placed in the block after escaping from domestic violence in Rhondda Cynon Taff. She has lived in the flats for five months, and describes it as a "sh***ole".
Sian said: "I'm on the ground floor, I have rats running outside all night, people shouting, screaming. I don't like living here at all. I definitely don't feel safe. I've asked to be moved, but I've been told I have to stay here for at least 12 months before I can get a flat elsewhere.
"In my flat, I have to prop windows up, because if I don't the panes of glass will fall out. It's cold, damp, smelly, I want to get out as soon as possible. My flat is covered in mould, it's not good for my mental health at all."
Another resident, who also asked to remain anonymous, told similar tales of mould and damp.
"My sink has been broken now for months. It leaks and leaks and the council haven't been out to fix it. You can see the mould it's starting to cause underneath it," they claimed.
"It makes the whole flat smell, I keep to my bedroom because I can't stand to look at it. I try not to keep my grandchildren here long as it's not safe for them."
The resident also told stories of anti-social behaviour, with an incident occurring a few hours previously.
"I think what had happened is that someone stole someone else's phone, and they went through putting bricks through all the downstairs windows at 6am this morning. Police are here all the time. I opened my door a couple of months ago to someone shooting up right outside my flat. I'm trying so hard to be relocated somewhere else."
What the council and the police have to say
A spokesperson for Swansea Council said: "As well as routine maintenance at the flats at Griffith John Street we have recently invested £300,000 in fire safety upgrades and are currently spending £900,000 on a sprinkler system and fibre optic broadband for the two blocks.
"Next year we will be investing more than £1m in new passenger lifts.
"As part of our rolling capital programme that has already transformed the flats at Clyne Court, Matthew Street, and Croft Street among others, the blocks at Griffith John Street are scheduled for a £30m investment in 2025 that will include a new roof and an upgrade to the external fabric of the building to provide the highest levels of thermal insulation.
"It will also increase the lifespan of the building by 30 years.
"Internally, each flat will have a new kitchen, bathroom and boiler and they will be re-wired while communal areas will be repaired and redecorated.
"Tenants are regularly reminded how to report repairs via our Tenant and Leasehold publications. In addition, officers are in attendance at the blocks on a daily basis for tenants to speak to in the event of any concerns.
"During evenings and weekends the Neighbourhood Support Unit undertake patrols within the block and surrounding areas. The Neighbourhood Support Unit also provide a response service to any out of hours incidents reported to them. We also provide a daily caretaking service to the blocks; this includes cleaning internal and external communal areas and arranging vermin treatment as required.
"Anti-social behaviour is something we take seriously in all our communities and we work closely with police to take firm action on any issues reported to us – this includes enforcement action against tenancies which can lead to eviction.
"We’d urge residents to report anti-social or criminal behaviour to the council or the police so that action can be taken."
A spokesperson for South Wales Police said "South Wales Police is not aware of ongoing issues in connection to high amounts of crimes in the area so we would encourage people to report incidents directly to us. Officers will investigate any such issues reported to us."
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