Jesmond residents complain of student noise

In 2020 Jesmond had the highest reported anti-social behaviour and noise complaints of any Newcastle suburb, the council says

An affluent Newcastle suburb is plagued by noise and anti-social behaviour from its student population, residents say.

Jesmond is a popular rental choice as it is near the city's two universities.

But in 2020 council figures showed it had the highest-reported anti-social behaviour and noise complaints of any Newcastle suburb.

The universities say many students play a positive part in the local community, and the council says they contribute £500m annually to the city's economy.

Katy says the actions of her student neighbours had forced her to move

One former resident Katy has now moved away, blaming the noisy and rowdy behaviour of her student neighbours.

She said it caused problems when she was trying to work from home, and at times the music was so loud she said she could not even watch TV.

At one point she said she was wrongly blamed for calling the police about a noisy party and beer bottles were thrown over her wall.

She said: "There so much going for Jesmond, it's such a nice place to live in terms of the restaurants and cafes and how close we are to the city centre, but there's been some really unpleasant times.

"The noise is one thing but it spills over and it ends up being intimidation... there's times when I've genuinely been concerned for the safety of me and my property.

"It does feel like I've been forced out which isn't a very nice feeling."

Students such as Francesca (middle) say not all of them are just there to party, many want to work hard for their degree

Jesmond resident Sara James said: "You see students walking around with bottles of vodka, crates of beer going from house to house, to parties.

"There is a lot of noise, shouting, aggression in the street … drunkenness outside, there's been urination in front gardens."

She is part of a residents' forum which records anti-social behaviour and reports it to the police and universities.

Operation Oak - a joint initiative involving police, the two universities and the council - deploys officers three days a week and residents, both student and non-student, can alert them to any issues.

There is a police presence in the area at weekends

Marc Lintern, the deputy academic registrar at Newcastle University, said: "The police have sanctions, the council has sanctions, the universities have sanctions - we fine students and at Northumbria they issue warning letters."

Many students played a positive part in the local community, he added.

"We will have something like 5,000 to 6,000 student volunteers doing things on top of their studies.

"That might range from one-off activities like litter picks right through to volunteering on long-standing projects.

"They've contributed hugely to the city and to the wider region in doing so."

Jesmond is popular with students as it is close to Newcastle's two universities

One student, Francesca, told the BBC: "A lot of people just put students together as people who drink, leave mess everywhere don't clean up after themselves.

"But there's a high amount of people who paid a lot of money to be up here and try really hard as well.

"Students get a really bad rep [but] I feel like we don't really play into that stereotype - most of our friends don't play into that stereotype.

"I think we'd all enjoy living here and sharing this area with people from different social groups if it felt like we both wanted each other there."

Another student, Finlay, said: "The families have to adapt but the students have to adapt as well.

"The only way that anyone's ever going to make it work around here is if people compromise and meet in the middle somewhere."

Suky Drummond produces a welcome leaflet for incoming residents

Suky Drummond, who has lived in the area for 26 years, is secretary of a local residents' group, which every year produces a welcome leaflet, with useful information about things like bin days, and inviting people to join the group.

She said: "The ethos is to try and make us all people so everyone knows that who they are living next to.

"So you know if you're making a noise, whether it be a baby crying or a party late at night, you're affecting people next door."

Nick Brown MP, the local Labour MP for more than 35 years, described it as a problem to which there was "no easy solution".

He said: "People are coming at this from different angles and have different points of view ... there's got to be an understanding of each other's fears and concerns.

"But the fact that it can't be solved overnight by the click of the fingers doesn't stop you from trying."

The full programme "We Are England: Students in Suburbia" is available via BBC iPlayer