Noisy neighbour complaints double

Twenty-nine separate complaints were made in the past year, compared to 14 the previous year, concerning violent disputes between neighbours or persistent nuisance behaviour including verbal abuse and vandalism.

Between April 2009 and March this year two Housing Executive tenants in Gilford were evicted in separate incidents after a series of complaints about their behaviour.

Although the total number of complaints made to the Executive has fallen from 132 to 112, the rise in “complex complaints” shows that problems between neighbours in the district still exist.

But local Housing Manager Aengus Hannaway said it is encouraging that people are more willing to report such cases to the Housing Executive so the problems can be dealt with.

”Our district office has performed extremely well this year but there is still much more that can be achieved,” said Mr Hannaway.

“We must continue to work with communities to bring an end to anti-social behaviour. I would encourage people to report incidents as and when they occur and not to suffer in silence.

“We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the PSNI and local councils to address anti-social behaviour.”

The Housing Executive, which uses 22 different categories to record complaints, said their focus is trying to stop anti-social behaviour before it gets to the stage when legal action is required.

“The majority of reports we receive are relatively low level incidents relating to noise nuisance for example,” added Mr Hannaway.

“Most cases can be resolved by the use of warning letters, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts or referral to our mediation service. Over the past 12 months we have seen a significant increase in mediation referrals, this approach is clearly having a positive impact.

“If you are a Housing Executive tenant and are experiencing anti-social behaviour, you should report the incident immediately to your local Housing Executive District Office, telephone number 03448 920 900. You can come and talk to us confidentially and we will decide what action is needed to resolve the problem.”