Oxford residents 'living in fear' in vandalised building

Pound House, located on top of Templars Square shopping centre in Oxford, has been "under siege" by intruders.

Residents of a housing block say they are "living in fear" as their building has become a target of vandalism and drug use.

They said Pound House, located on top of Templars Square shopping centre in Oxford, was "under siege" by intruders.

Tenants said they had been raising the issue to councillors and their local MP.

Oxford City Council said it would "look to employ security guards" to prevent unauthorised access to the block.

Mould growing out of the walls...

... and evidence of drug use have become "a daily occurrence" at Pound House

Residents at Pound House said their magnetic front door, that let in only people with fobs, had not been working since February.

Since it got broken, they say "anybody and everybody" could be seen on the stairs and doorways.

Resident Simon has seen urine and faeces outside his door

When speaking to the BBC, residents did not want to give their full names for fear of reprisals.

"If the door's fixed, we fear that they will still get in and break that again. We need [it] fixed to try and stop them getting upstairs," resident Simon said.

"I walked out one morning and someone had defecated and urinated outside our front doors."

Intruders have been coming in freely through the housing block's broken door

Pauline, who has been living in the building for 26 years, said residents were scared because they "don't know who we're going to face or even come in".

Mould on the walls, damage to the stairs, broken glasses and fights have also become "a daily occurrence" at Pound House.

Tenant Elijah has been contacting local council authorities to raise awareness of the living conditions at Pound House

Elijah said he was feeling "unsafe" living in the block.

"The people who are coming in are very aggressive. Also we have dogs coming in with them who are chasing us around the corridors," he said.

"They are also leaving needles and ... drugs in the landings which is causing a lot of problems for us."

He added that he had brought the issue to the attention of his local MP and several councillors but so far the response had been that another department would look into it.

On social media, Elijah said: "I have taken upon myself to do volunteer work for the vulnerable residents who live in fear to support them with some of their needs and wants.

"Council tenants are humans too and deserve better service from the Council.

He added that this had affected "everybody's mental health" and that Pound House tenants were "not opening doors for anybody".

Oxford City Council has been contacted for a comment

Anneliese Dodds MP, Labour MP for Oxford East, called the damage to the building "absolutely atrocious" and said that "when it's replaced, the door needs to be substantial enough so that there's no way that they can just come in again and vandalise it again".

Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing at Oxford City Council, said she was "really sorry about the situation at Pound House" and that she understood "the concern and frustration it must have caused residents".

She said: "Oxford Direct Services were on site on Monday to clear up the broken glass and debris and have been back to the building for routine cleaning.

"Given the incident, we have accelerated plans to replace the main entry door bypassing the consultation process and will have it installed as soon as contractors are available.

"Meanwhile, we will look to employ security guards to ensure unauthorised people cannot gain access to the block and residents feel safe."

Ms Smith invited the residents to contact the council with any further concerns.

Thames Valley Police has been contacted for a comment.

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