The neighbours of Eden Shopping Centre were left worried for their safety after their block of flats was broken into.
A resident of Newland Gate on Lily’s Walk in High Wycombe warned her town centre neighbours after her building’s front security door was broken in July, leading to trespassing, loitering in the car park, and dumped cigarettes and rubbish indoors.
Residents’ packages and food deliveries were also stolen during the four weeks the door remained broken, and one resident was forced to chase a suspected delivery thief caught red handed.
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The resident, who’s in her thirties and wished to remain anonymous for her safety, called out those responsible for the repairs: “We’ve had to band together as the property management company doesn’t care.
“It’s comical in a morbid way.
“There were thirty plus people calling the company.
“One, it’s a malarkey, and two, I don’t want it to happening to other people, in case there are homeless people trying to gain access to steal parcels or to squat in.”
“There are older people, and vulnerable people living here,” she added.
Having all the entrances to the street broken meant “anyone could have come in, and anyone could have tried the doors.”
She said: “Some mornings my husband leaves the door unlocked by accident, and I might be on the phone, and I’d none the wiser if someone came in.”
It took the property management company MainStay a month from the time the broken door was discovered until it was fixed on August 31, despite taking “five minutes to fix,” the resident complained.
“We have no way of knowing how many people have been here, apart from stolen parcels.”
“We want people to be more vigilant about their packages or banding together with their communities, and put pressure on the property company. We shouldn’t have to have chase homeless people out of the building.
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“Last night I had trouble sleeping.”
A spokesperson for the property management company said: “The repair to the security doors is now complete and we are sorry there was a delay. We’ve since put steps in place to make sure residents can flag any concerns more easily and directly to us, meaning we can respond quickly and effectively.”
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