Residents of two blocks of flats in Lisburn have raised concerns over ongoing drug dealing and anti-social behaviour.
They have said the properties at Graham Gardens and Woodbrook Avenue in the city have been plagued by anti-social behaviour and crime for a number of years, which has included violent incidents.
They say that drug dealing is a constant problem at both apartment blocks, which has led to incidents of anti-social behaviour such as drug taking and fighting.
Residents have also claimed that it is a regular occurrence to find used needles at the flats, particularly at the bin area.
Speaking to Belfast Live, one resident said: "Over the past few years there have been ongoing problems at the Graham Gardens and Woodbrook Avenue flats run by Clanmil.
"It is a common occurrence to see drug dealing going on and most residents are too scared to speak out because they fear the repercussions or threats they could receive.
"People are often finding used needles in the bin areas where people have been taking drugs and you often see fights taking place inside and outside of the flats.
"There have even been some quite disturbing incidents where people have been violently attacked and things have been thrown from apartments onto the street.
"It has got to a point where residents have no trust left in the housing association to handle the problems.
"Following a number of complaints people have stopped reporting things to them entirely because we don't believe our issues have been handled safely and in the correct way."
Clanmill Housing Association has said that when the Graham Gardens apartments opened, there were issues with anti-social behaviour, but following engagement with residents, police and the local council, many of these problems have been addressed.
It also said that it received a report last week regarding anti-social behaviour at the Woodbrook Avenue apartments, and this was the only report in the past six months. It says it received four reports in six months regarding Graham Gardens.
A Clanmil spokesperson said: "“When first built, there were some issues with antisocial behaviour and criminality at Graham Gardens. We worked very closely with the PSNI, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, NIHE and local community organisations to deal with those issues and to ensure a positive living environment.
"Over the last 6 months there has been 4 reports to us of lower level antisocial behaviour at the scheme, none of which were drugs related. Clanmil has held several successful engagement events with tenants there in recent months.
"These events were well attended, and tenants fed back that there have been improvements at the scheme. They are interested in setting up a Tenant Association to work with Clanmil to build on the progress that has been achieved to date.
"We manage the scheme closely and we take robust action on any issues raised where appropriate. This includes taking court action.
"There was one incident of antisocial behaviour at Woodbrook Avenue reported to us last week. This was the only incident of antisocial behaviour reported over the last 6 months and it is currently being investigated.
"We would encourage anyone aware of incidents of antisocial behaviour to report them to us and to the PSNI, so that we can ensure that appropriate action is taken.”
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