14 March 2023 , 12:03
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Elderly residents are scared to leave their Birmingham tower block over fears of "machete-wielding" yobs, break-ins and vandalism.
Bakeman House is a well-known building on Coventry Road which is part of a sheltered housing scheme with elderly and vulnerable tenants.
A lack of security is a recurring theme for the residents who previously complained of having homeless people sleeping in their bin room.
Meanwhile, an expensive sprinkler system installed after the Grenfell tragedy hadn't been connected to any water two years after it was fitted.
Now, residents have handed a petition to a local councillor as they're scared to leave their flats, because youths keep breaking in and terrorising communal areas.
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Bakeman House is a 10-storey building in Birmingham (Jonathan Hipkiss/Birmingham Mail)People told of "machete waving youths" who were making life a misery.
John, who lives in the block, said there had been many complaints in recent months which started after CCTV was removed from the downstairs area.
He claimed Birmingham City Council had "ripped them out everywhere" on the grounds of government guidance, but he said it was an excuse for "money-saving" where residents were not consulted.
"They removed our cameras from Bakeman House 12 months ago," John told BirminghamLive. "We've had so many incidents in the last year including £3,000 worth of carpet stolen out of the foyer. We've had machete-waving youths in the block and now we keep having our front door vandalised."
John said youths, and older people with drug and alcohol issues, had ripped the wires out of the door to make it stay open. He said the housing board had been forced to spend thousands of pounds on repairs.
"We're constantly having people in the block that shouldn't be here," John continued. "The local drunks now sit outside and pull the wires out (of) the door so it stays open. It takes two weeks to repair and costs thousands of pounds to do all this work."
Another local resident, who gave his name as David, said he had been left frightened in his own home with the situation getting worse over the past 10 years.
People are worried that their flats will be broken into at the tower block (Jonathan Hipkiss/Birmingham Mail)"When I moved here it was a home for everybody," he said. "Since then the council have taken the cameras out and we feel intimidated.
"You can't even walk in the block without getting anxious or nervous because there are always groups of youths in here. Old people in the block are scared to leave. They feel like prisoners in their own homes.
"It's horrible. My anxiety has gone through the roof and my medication has been doubled. When you've got youths here you know they have got knives on them. The police don't have time to come out.
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"We want safety. We pay our rent. We pay our service charge but I don't know what that's for. We need security. We need the cameras back so we feel safe in our home. Our home has been taken off us."
Councillor Zaker Choudhry, who represents South Yardley, said he would be raising the petition in full council. He said he supported the push for cameras to be re-installed.
Cllr Choudhry said: "Some of the residents are getting attacked by hooligans standing outside. Most of the problems I'm getting [are about] the safety of residents.
"The residents' concerns are drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and all the issues relating to [these] problems. They are not safe. They are requesting for cameras to be installed so they can have a peaceful life."
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson reportedly said: "If residents are concerned about their safety or witness criminal damage they should ring West Midlands Police immediately. We work closely with police and will not tolerate residents being threatened or property destroyed.
"We will check security at the block and carefully consider the issues raised in the petition when we receive it. Residents can also consult with their local councillor if they wish to raise issues about the block."
The Mirror has contacted Birmingham City Council for comment.