Residents have complained that their once-quiet and leafy road is now filled with yobs and drug dealers who hand out their illicit wares ‘like sweets’.
The state of Frances Road in Erdington, Birmingham, has led to an intervention by the local MP, who says several people have told him they are afraid to even leave their front door.
Others on the street of 94 properties describe seeing late-night fights, people passed out on the pavement and even a man breathing and swallowing fire.
The state of Frances Road in Erdington, Birmingham, has led to an intervention by the MP, who says people have told him they are afraid to go out. Pictured is a man urinating on a bin (left) and police intervening in a dispute. Images undated
A local resident living on Frances Road says he witnesses drugs being ‘given out like sweets’ on a daily basis and is now demanding police officers to take the area more seriously
The area has a number of HMOs [houses in multiple occupation] – properties transformed by private landlords into six or seven-bedroom homes used to house strangers.
Housing charities operate on Frances Road too and provide social housing for the most vulnerable.
Erdington MP Jack Dromey admitted Frances Road continued to be plagued by ongoing issues – and called on private landlords and social housing providers to do more.
He said: ‘I’ve met with residents of Frances Road and we are now planning to revisit the concerns, which have been ongoing for the last two years.
‘There’s real concern and bitterness. For example, a woman purchased her great-grandfather’s house which her family had lived in for many years.
‘It’s a glorious tall building but now, due to problems outside her front door, she’s too frightened to go out at night and even live in it. She shouldn’t be feeling like this.’
Others on the street of 94 properties describe seeing late-night fights and people passed out on the pavement (pictured)
Mr Dromey said he also spoke to a mother whose daughter refused to walk back from the bus stop alone because she was too afraid.
‘Residents once living in a fine area say it’s changing beyond recognition and it’s partly down to the rapid growth of HMOs,’ he said.
‘There’s proof of bad landlords operating here, packing vulnerable tenants into squalid conditions to make money and, as a result, there’s been a rapid growth of anti-social behaviour and crime.
‘The police and the council need to be given the priority to tackle bad landlords head-on and punish those who are bringing down this fine community. I will ensure no stone is left unturned. Bad landlords need to be named and shamed.’
Three-bedroom homes in the area go for around £130,000 and most homes on the street fall under council tax band B, the second lowest. The average house price in Erdington as a whole is £168,868. Six-bedroom properties on Frances Road go for around £155,000.
A local resident living on Frances Road says he witnesses drugs being ‘given out like sweets’ on a daily basis and is now demanding police officers to take the area more seriously.
Another resident has even seen a man breathing and swallowing fire at night
Wanting to remain anonymous, he said: ‘[Frances Road] has been like this for years. Drugs are done openly in the middle of the day, people come down the road and give them out like sweets.
‘The amount of drunks here as well is unbelievable. There’s road signs tied to lampposts warning of fines but people are just lying there passed out. You want to see the place in the summer.
‘It’s just the sheer lack of police, they’re not physically coming out and looking at the problems. I understand the cutbacks but it’s frightening around here.
‘House prices are cheap and landlords are buying the big houses, transforming them into seven-bedroom flats. These HMOs are gold mines and they’re becoming out of control.
‘It’s full of p*** heads and druggies but nothing ever gets done and we’re the ones having to live with it, day in day out.’
Stockland Green councillor Josh Jones said a public meeting was held with residents on Frances Road in August 2018, with another taking place to discuss issues highlighted at the Highcroft Community Centre on September 28.
‘[Frances Road] is a big problem,’ Councillor Jones admitted. The cuts to police budgets isn’t helping matters. For example, when I became councillor a few years ago there was double the people power in terms of police numbers.
‘Landlords are just taking money, both in terms of registered providers and those who own the properties. Housing in Stockland Green is cheap, hence HMOs are cropping up.
‘There’s a real issue with drugs and drug dealing in particular. It’s leading to petty crime and these people should be getting the support they need. ‘The vulnerable victims are easy prey for dealers, it’s that simple.’
Addressing the issue of HMOs in Birmingham Jim Crawshaw, head of private sector housing, said those seeking to transform properties into a house for multiple occupation now need a proper licence – and standards must always be met.
He said: ‘In October last year, the law changed which meant that an estimated additional 4,000 landlords in Birmingham now need an HMO licence.
‘We are working with landlords to ensure that all properties that are renting property in this way, meet the standards and regulations expected of them. Where these standards are not met, enforcement action will be used.’