Tenants 'scared' on Newham Council's Little Ilford estate

Residents say intruders who behave “like zombies” are using crack and heroin inside their tower blocks, even breaking into their storage sheds and using them to run drug-dealing operations.

“We’ve had enough,” said Calvin Terry. “This is our home. We shouldn’t have to live like this.”

The Met Police said tackling the problems was “among our top ward priorities”.

But residents said pleas for help had long gone unanswered by the police and the council.

“We have homeless people living in the shed area, leaving it like a pigsty, urinating everywhere. They use our building as a toilet. It’s not fair,” said Calvin.

“We are literally cleaning it up ourselves,” a neighbour said.

The Little Ilford estate, also known as the Warrior Square estate, sits right on the Redbridge/Newham border, between Ilford and Manor Park (Image: Charles Thomson)

“Brothel”

Little Ilford – also known as the Warrior Square estate – sits right on the Redbridge/Newham border, off of Romford Road - a few minutes’ walk from Ilford’s Elizabeth Line station.

Immediately outside is a huge sign that says, “Welcome to Newham, London, a place where people choose to live, work and stay”.

The irony is not lost on residents.

“We have prostitutes on the corner who fight all night,” said Calvin, of Charlbury House.  “It’s like a war zone.

“They use our building as a brothel. They come in here and defecate and have sex and use drugs. The staircase is full of needles and used condoms.

“We have children here, working people, OAPs – a nice crowd – but everyone’s scared. We do as much as we can to get evidence but it’s dangerous. When you film these people, they don’t like it.”

Calvin Terry, 69, said he had lived in Charlbury House for around 30 years and had never seen the estate in such bad condition (Image: Charles Thomson)

Calvin, 69, has lived on the estate for around 30 years, witnessing intermittent problems but never of the current severity.

“It’s like living in a prison,” he said. “We’re afraid in our own homes. Nobody wants to go outside after dark.

“People have been asked to get out of the building but they threaten to stab people. I’m terrified that eventually, someone will get hurt.”

“Scary”

“I’ve walked out the back and seen prostitution in full effect,” said Max*, who has lived in Charlbury House for two decades.

“There are times when it spikes but recently it really has been quite nasty. We’ve had groups of people squatting, defecating, injecting drugs, drinking. You find urine on the stairs, by the bin rooms, the exits.

“On a daily basis I’m blocking people from coming in and they’re trying to push past me. There’s so much activity that it’s scary. Honestly, it’s bloody scary.”

Blood-stained tissue, tin foil and a lighter found discarded in the Charlbury House stairwell (Image: Supplied)

Zac*, who has lived in Wallis House for more than 20 years, has seen a “dramatic” decline.

“The number of homeless people, the prostitution – just the sheer disrespect,” he said.

“You find condoms in the bin room and I’ve seen human excrement in the bin room and the lifts. Vomit. I’ve seen people jacking up with heroin and smoking crack in the stairwell.”

Sandra*, who has lived in Arthur Walls House for more than a decade, stopped letting her nephew visit “because it was dangerous".

"We’d go up the staircase and there were needles everywhere.

“Two or three years ago there was a guy in the block who’d be up in the early hours,  walking up and down with a machete. We were told nothing could be done. It was a year before he was moved.”

Residents have taken photos of 'zombie'-like drug users passed out in the communal areas of their buildings. Some have broken into tenants' storage sheds to use them as drugs dens (Image: Supplied)

Drug dens

Some intruders rip the locks off residents’ storage sheds and live in them.

Several in Charlbury House were boarded up when the Recorder visited on Tuesday, March 12. One was recently broken into. In the corner was a used syringe.

“You wouldn’t believe what we’ve found in here before,” said Calvin. “They’ve been converted into little offices where dealers pack their drugs into little envelopes to sell them.”

One resident filmed a man on the floor of the shed area, packing drugs paraphernalia, including lots of syringes, into a backpack.

Just a few days ago, said Max, he found a couple using drugs on the stairs.

Some residents' sheds were boarded up when the Recorder visited, after intruders broke into them. One was recently broken into, the lock wrenched from the wall. In the corner, we found a syringe (Image: Charles Thomson)

“I called 101 but couldn’t get anyone on the phone so I called emergency,” he said.

“They said they’d be out in an hour. That was six days ago. They never came.

“I called the council’s antisocial behaviour team the next day but after an hour and a half with no answer I hung up.

“I think they’ve been cut back and are understaffed. Fifteen years ago you’d call and someone would answer.

"Now the service is appalling. It makes you feel pretty isolated. You feel like an outcast.”

“Shame”

Lately, parcels have started going missing from outside people’s doors.

“The addicts obviously have to get their money from somewhere,” suggested Calvin.

Syringes spotted in one of the common areas of Charlbury House (Image: Supplied)

Zac’s car was broken into. When he asked the council for the CCTV, he said he was told the cameras didn’t work.

A delivery driver’s car was also recently broken into.

“This is our home,” said Calvin. “It may be meagre. We may not be rich. But we have our pride. We pay our council tax but we’re not receiving a service. What does it take? Does someone have to get killed before anyone decides to do anything?”

“I’ve lost confidence in the police – or anyone – potentially tackling this,” said Zac.

“It’s a shame because I really love my flat. But when you come out and see urine and burger sauce smeared around the building, it’s not a nice place to live.”

Max said it was as if the community had developed “a prisoner state of mind".

"We feel like our lives are s***, where we live is s***, no one cares about us and this is as good as it gets. And that’s pretty sad.”

A Charlbury House resident captured a video of a man with a large amount of drugs paraphernalia, including a pile of syringes, spread across the floor of the shed area (Image: Supplied)

The authorities

“I have the highest respect for the police, but there is no prevention here,” said Calvin.

“You’d think they could drive through every couple of hours at night, when most of this happens, but there’s no preventative policing. I can’t remember the last time I saw a copper on this estate.”

Inspector Ganesh Rasaratnam, from Met Police’s North East Command Neighbourhood Policing Unit, denied this.

“We understand the misery to residents that can be caused by drugs and/or sex worker-related antisocial behaviour,” he said.

“We regularly patrol hotspot areas, including Little Ilford, and will continue to do so.

"However, crime is rarely committed while police are present and it is important that local people report offences and provide information so that we can build intelligence on those responsible and take action against them.”

The Little Ilford tower blocks - including Charlbury House, Willis House and Arthur Walls House - are on Grantham Road, which runs adjacent to the A118 Romford Road from Ilford to Manor Park (Image: Charles Thomson)

Newham Council said it had carried out site visits with police to identify and tackle antisocial behaviour “across our housing estates”.

It said it had improved ground maintenance and communal spaces and set up groups where residents could raise concerns.

“We will continue to arrange regular walkabouts with residents, local groups and partner agencies and councillors to continue our efforts to make our estates safer and more secure living environments for all residents,” it said.

*Names have been changed.