Police probe reports of "barbaric" parties making life a misery

Residents say that a terraced house in the road is over-occupied and loud music and other noise from the people living there is keeping them up at night.

Around four months of disruption came to a head last Saturday night when a car, believed to have been driven by a woman who came from a party at the house, crashed into three other vehicles and then into a house in the road, which has not been named.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released on police bail.

Police said the three cars were all badly damaged but the damage to the house was only slight.

One woman who contacted the Gazette said she felt threatened by the neighbours and now feared going out alone.

Asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, the woman said the neighbours regularly held parties which descended into drunken arguments and brawls in the street.

She said: "There are a lot of people living there, at least 30, I'd say. I've only ever seen mattresses going in there but never furniture.

"They get drunk and stand on cars singing, shouting abuse at people and shooting at cats with their air guns.

"The daughter of one of my neighbours looked out the window at them one night when they were urinating on people's cars and they threatened to burn down her house with her inside.

"I'm scared to go out there. I want to tell them to be quiet and stop, but I don't know what the consequences will be. They seem so barbaric."

Following two separate complaints from neighbours, Arun District Council has sent formal warning letters to the tenants of the rented property, asking them to think about the impact of their behaviour on neighbours and to be sensible and responsible.

Arun Council's head of environmental health, Paul Unsworth, said the residents have been asked to fill in logs of anti-social noise and behaviour that can be used to build up an evidence file.

He said that if the noisy residents continued being disruptive, noise-monitoring equipment could be installed to provide further evidence of sound levels which could be used in court if they refused to stop.

Chief inspector Brian Bracher, Arun district commander, said that police were working closely with Arun District Council to deal with the complaints.

He said: "It's important to make people understand about other people's needs and find a middle ground rather than trying to criminalise noisy behaviour.

"But if there are people who are not willing to accept that advice then we will use the powers available to us to curtail that behaviour."