'Living next door to anti-social behaviour has been hell'

For seven years James Daniel has been living next to successive "nightmare neighbours". Despite numerous complaints to various agencies, including his housing association, he said his situation had not improved.

It comes as new data from the Housing Ombudsman showed a rise over five years in the number of complaints upheld about social landlords' handling of anti-social behaviour.

While Devon and Cornwall Police has increased the number of closure orders placed on residential properties, housing associations report that dealing with anti-social behaviour can be a complex issue and requires working closely with other agencies.

Daniel said he had spent years reporting the alleged anti-social behaviour and collecting evidence, including security camera and mobile phone footage, which he passed on to the police, North Devon Homes and now the BBC.

The videos he shared with the BBC showed knives being thrown from a window, an altercation outside his house and a neighbour appearing to make gun gestures at his security camera.

"Living next door to anti-social behaviour has been hell to be honest, absolute hell, said Daniel.

New data showed the Housing Ombudsman upheld almost four times as many complaints relating to social landlords' handling of anti-social behaviour reports than five years ago.

Ric Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman at the time, said there were a number of "consistent reasons" why the maladministration rate - or uphold rate - had increased.

"It's poor communication, it's poor record keeping, it's not using the tools that landlords should use - such as doing a risk assessment or producing an action plan - and that is a consistent reason that we would uphold a case," he explained.

Easier access to the ombudsman service and greater awareness of housing rights were among the drivers Blakeway believed had led to a rise in casework.

Blakeway said his teams had seen cases where residents had been making themselves "in effect homeless" by sleeping in cars to escape the anti-social behaviour.

Melanie, whose surname we are not using, said residents had been "living in fear" before one neighbour, who was accused of waving a sword, was removed.

At another property, PC James Tompson said officers spent weeks gathering evidence of drug use, fighting and anti-social behaviour linked to the address.

Daniel said victims of anti-social behaviour, particularly in social housing, needed support from agencies in a "more joined up approach".

"All the agencies are involved but actually it seems nobody's talking to each other, and nobody knows what's going on."

"It's got to the point where actually the house that I love, I don't love anymore," he added.