Residents said they feel embarrassed in their own homes as their block of flats is blighted with drug needles, anti-social behaviour and fire damage.

Flat owners in Park Court in Davigdor Road, Hove, said that mattresses and used needles have been left at their front door while homeless people frequently sleep, have sex, smoke cannabis and accost them in their corridors.

At a public meeting with housing association Sanctuary held in Hove yesterday, they said fears over criminal behaviour and safety in their building are leading to them feeling “disempowered”.

They asked the association to tackle the issues that blight their day-to-day life.

Mattresses left outside Park CourtMattresses left outside Park Court (Image: Supplied)

“This is not something new," one resident told the meeting. "It has been going on for two years. There have been people having sex at 4.30am and needles everywhere.

“It’s about feeling safe in our homes and some of us don’t feel safe in our homes.

“I’m embarrassed to have my friends over. I don’t understand how this is allowed to happen.”

A sofa dumped outside Park CourtA sofa dumped outside Park Court (Image: Supplied)

Issues highlighted by residents at the meeting on Tuesday include:

  • Smoke damage after a fire in a flat on May 18
  • Mattresses left outside their flat with used drug needles littered nearby
  • Homeless people sleeping in corridors and living in a lift shaft where the lift is commonly broken
  • Crime gangs using the car park as a hiding place for stolen vehicles
  • One woman said was mugged at her front door by a woman who was able to gain access to the building.

On another occasion, a woman was forced to call the police when she found a man in the building with “hammers and chisels” in his bag.

Residents complained that the issues in their building, run by Sanctuary Housing, have been ongoing for a number of years and have not been addressed.

At the meeting a spokeswoman for Sanctuary said that issues with the block of flats would be “pushed forward” and that an action plan would be agreed upon.

A spokesman for the housing association added: “We listened carefully to the concerns raised by our residents at the meeting and have reassured them we are committed to looking into them to ensure they are addressed.

“An action plan will be put together and shared with residents to demonstrate we are taking their concerns seriously, and we can confirm a fire safety check has already been carried out.

"We will also continue to work with the police and other local stakeholders to ensure that complaints relating to criminality, anti-social behaviour and fly tipping are tackled by the organisations with the relevant powers.”