A "rancid" stench, brazen dealers peddling drugs in plain sight and a broken front door for six months - that has become the sad reality of life for people living in a north Manchester tower block.
Plagued by drug users "shooting up" outside their flats and machete-wielding gangs running loose outside, fed-up tenants in Kingsbridge Court, Harpurhey, say they no longer feel safe in their own homes.
"They are dealing outside the building on an every day basis," said David Gardner, who has called Kingsbridge Court home for more than two decades. "Some of the tenants have been accosted trying to run back from the shops."
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Mr Gardner said he recently phoned police to report a group of men wielding a machete outside the tower block, off Harpurhey Road.
He is not the only person who has had enough. Mr Gardner is one of several tenants who say they have repeatedly raised their concerns with Northwards Housing, which manages the block, but claim they have fallen on deaf ears.
"I know of a few tenants who have moved out because of various issues in the block," said Mr Gardner. "We didn't have a front door for six months because somebody had broken it."
A disabled resident, who gave his name as Mr Owen, said he no longer felt safe living in Kingsbridge Court. He said he had witnessed drug users "shoot up" in the stairwell, and has previously discovered urine and faeces in the communal bin cupboard.
He also suspects one of his neighbours may be the victim of cuckooing - a process which involves gangs taking over the homes of vulnerable people to use as a base for drug dealing and other offences.
"We've reported it but there is very little we can do," he explained. "During Covid, when we were not supposed to go anywhere or do anything, we had five different homeless people sleeping in the bin cupboards.
"I had one woman knocking on my door asking for tin foil. We've had them scrapping on the landing. I can't leave my door open because of the number of people that try to walk in here."
When the Manchester Evening News visited Kingsbridge Court recently, Mr Owen was one of several tenants who complained of a "rancid" smell in the lift and top floor of the building.
"It's been going on for years," he said. "We've put complaint after complaint in about it. We get so sick of ringing Northwards about the same issues."
A fire risk assessment published earlier this year revealed a "medium" risk of fire at Kingsbridge Court, with "moderate harm" to life likely in the event of a blaze. The document raised concerns over damage to fire doors and flat entrances within the 13-storey building.
One woman, who asked not to be named, claimed sprinklers fitted in the building almost three years ago had never been switched on.
"They started doing it because of Grenfell," she said. "They never switched them on so it's no good if we have a fire."
She too agreed that drugs are "rife" within the tower block, which she described as "a tip". "They are just dealing all the time," she said. "I'm extremely anti-drug so it really gets to me.
"You get in the lift and sometimes it just stinks of cannabis. I don't feel safe here anymore. I'm planning on moving next year because I've had enough.
"I can't stand it, the noise and scruffiness of the building. I call it Scruffy Tower. When I first moved here, they put a really good group of people in. Everybody knew each other and it was clean and you felt safe. Now it's the total opposite."
The woman claimed she had experienced problems with mould in her flat for several years, which she believes is caused by water building up on a balcony on the floor above.
"Two years ago, I went away for a few weeks and there was a hole in the corner the size of a tennis ball," she said.
"It got really bad. There was water dripping down my wall. I had several surveyors come out but they only plastered the hole and painted it at the beginning of this year.
"I've noticed it's coming back already. It's a big concern because you have to think of your health."
Gary McInnes has also had issues with mould in his second floor flat. Although they have been resolved for now, he fears the problem will return.
"They've tried all sorts of things on this block," he said. "It depresses me. It feels like we're banging our head against a brick wall. They have a complete disregard for tenants."
On one occasion, another tenant threatened to "stab him," he claims. "When I mentioned it to the housing officer, she just was not interested," he said.
"It's got worse here since I first moved. The drug dealing has been happening at the gate. It's brazen in the daylight and at night-time."
Northwards Housing has written to tenants stating its plans to carry out a scheme of improvement works on the tower block in the coming months, including fitting ground source heating, new entrance doors to flats, as well as balcony repairs.
However, those who call Kingsbridge Court home remain sceptical about whether the problems plaguing their lives will be resolved.
"They always do temporary patch-up work without addressing the problem," said Mr Gardner. "We have no faith that they will do the job properly."
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “A housing manager met with Mr Gardiner in August at Kingsbridge Court and the extent of the repair issues were not raised at that time. We will of course be in touch immediately to investigate further and progress the necessary works to be done.
“We were made aware of issues around homeless individuals seeking shelter in the block during the pandemic. Council outreach workers visited on a number of occasions to offer support and alternative accommodation. To our knowledge this issue has been resolved.
“Sprinklers were installed at the blocks in February 2020 and Electricity North West (ENW) were in the process of updating the power supply to the block, which was necessary before the sprinklers could be turned on. Their work was delayed during the pandemic, and we hope their work will be completed by the end of the year.
“Unfortunately, drug dealing has been a persistent issue and we will continue to work with GMP colleagues on tackling the problems that have been raised by these residents.”
Detective Superintendent Christopher Downey of Greater Manchester Police’s North Manchester District said: “Firstly, I would like to reassure the local residents of Kingsbridge Court and around the surrounding areas of Harpurhey that we are aware of a growing number of issues within the local area.
"I would like to thank members of the community for sharing their experiences and concerns with us and over the coming days and weeks we will work with the local community and partner agencies in order to address any concerns they may have an future proof the community to prevent any further crime.
"Our officers have recently undertaken days of action in response to the concerns raised and we have made several arrests including a male dealing drugs.
"Of course this is just the start of our action and we will be taking further action in the future to ensure crime reduces in the area.
"Greater Manchester Police will NOT tolerate any form of criminality in our communities, Harpurhey is no exception.
"We would urge members of the public to report concerns or information to us via 101, or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can report information and concerns online via www.gmp.police.uk. You can also report crime anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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