BY COLM BRADLEY
A man, who has claimed to have made 11 separate complaints about antisocial behaviour emanating from one house in the estate he lives in in Irvinestown, has told 'the Herald' that he has 'come to the end of his patience.'
The man, who is reluctant to be named because of fear of retaliation, said that the antics of residents and visitors to one isolated house is giving Sallyswood a bad name.
"It's a real shame that these people are doing this. There are some fantastic people in Sallyswood and it is unfortunate that these people bring the area down."
Things came to a head during the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday) morning when the Police were called to the area.
"It was just terrible. They were ripping down fences, shouting abuse, banging on my door, threatening me. Just pure anti social behaviour," the man stated. "But this has been going on for the last three months. I have made 11 complaints to the Housing executive and for the last month I have been keeping a diary about the behaviour, but I am not sure that anything will be done."
In a statement the Housing Executive has said that it is aware of the complaints and was giving active consideration to legal action against a number of tenants, but the statement also said that the Housing Executive could not solve the problem on their own.
"The Housing Executive", the statement went on, "has received a number of complaints regarding anti social behaviour and criminal activity in this area and fully understands that this issue is a major nuisance to many residents in Sallyswood.
'However, it is not a problem that the Housing Executive can solve on its own. Any solution will require the co-operation of the local residents of the area and the other agencies concerned.
The Housing Executive is giving active consideration to legal action against a number of tenants in the area and is working with residents and the Police Service to gather sufficient evidence to support this."
Police were able to confirm that they were called to an incident in the Sallyswood where three men were subsequently arrested at 5 o'clock on Tuesday morning.
John O'Kane, a Councillor for in Erne North, said he was disappointed that an incident such as this could lead to people getting the wrong impression about Sallyswood: "There has been a lot of work done in Sallyswood over recent times", he stated, " and it is unfortunate that an incident like this has occurred. It is also unfortunate that the Housing Executive insist on keeping families there who do not live to the norms of society."
Mr O'Kane continued: "All that people want is for people to live normally and have respect for their neighbours. It is not too much to ask." Mr O'Kane has contacted both the police and the Housing Executive about this incident.
As for the man who made the initial complaint to 'the Herald,' he is just hopeful that something will be done.
"Myself and other neighbours have made complaints, and we have also kept diaries and there simply has to be something done. One house is giving the whole house a bad area. At the minute I would move anywhere to get away from all this, but that won't solve the problem. Whoever comes in after me will be left terrorised as well."
