A disabled man has said “enough is enough” over the poor behaviour of his neighbours in council housing in Reading.
John Tweed, 49, who has multiple disabilities, lives in a bungalow in Cresswell Close, Whitley Wood.
His home and that of his neighbours are both managed by Reading Borough Council.
Mr Tweed has accused his neighbours of serious breaches of their council tenancy, including wrongfully using their garden for tyre storage, business purposes and storing waste, and intimidating him.
Mr Tweed said: “It ramped up over the last year. I saw eight rubbish bags in the garden.
“And I complained, and within a week of me complaining, they started playing loud music late at night, early in the morning.”
Photos he provided showed tyres being stored in the rear garden, overflowing bins and cars blocking his driveway.
Mr Tweed fears reprisals for his complaints and has therefore installed motion sensors in his front garden and a doorbell camera.
He is too scared to sleep in his bed out of fear of break-ins.
Mr Tweed explained: “I’m sleeping on the sofa.
“I’m only getting two to three hours sleep at night because the husband doesn’t come home from work till about 1.30 to 2.30 in the morning.
“I won’t go to bed until I know they’re all home and in bed.”
In an attempt to resolve the issue, Mr Tweed has sought mediation from the council and the Thames Valley Police anti-social behaviour team.
The family was issued a community protection order by police on September 2.
They have also been served a council tenancy warning in November last year, with a reminder sent this April.
Mr Tweed says the family have breached 12 points of the agreement.
He said: “There have been six breaches after the tenancy warning.”
Due to ongoing issues with the neighbours, he made an initial complaint to the council, which has not been upheld.
Addressing the council, Mr Tweed said: “At what point are you actually going to enforce the tenancy warning notice?”
“I just want this behaviour to stop.
“I don’t think any disabled person or mentally ill person should have to live under these conditions.”
He used to work in roofing but has had to retire due to injuries to his neck and back, and has had one of his fingers amputated. He uses a walking stick to assist mobility.
Confronted with the complaints, a council spokesperson said: “We fully appreciate why these incidents would cause distress to Mr Tweed. The council has been in contact with him on numerous occasions to listen to his concerns, investigate and take action where appropriate.
“We continue to monitor the situation and are liaising with Mr Tweed and responding to reports when they are received.
“We have suggested to Mr Tweed he may apply for a white ‘H’ road marking to be painted across his drive to deter vehicles from overhanging his driveway. A housing officer also visited several times late last year to address issues of black sacks and rubbish in the garden, which have subsequently been resolved.
“We remain open to working with him to explore other routes to try to realise a positive outcome to this situation with his neighbours.”
The spokesperson added that he can use a commissioned Noise app to record and report disturbances to the council.
