Sheffield families battle to clear syringes, knife, broken glass and urine in their garden

Charlie Ledger is one of a group of residents who have been battling Places for People, their landlord, to put measures in place to prevent dangerous and disgusting misuse of their neighbourhood at the Springfield Estate, on Egerton Close, Broomhall.

She said: “I feel like I am fighting an impossible battle to try and clear our communal garden of dangerous items such as used syringes, broken glass and other rubbish. I have lost count of the number of syringes that I have personally removed, and I have cleared countless bags of broken glass and other rubbish.

“I have a young child, and my neighbours also have young children that play in our communal garden. So, I find it absolutely sickening to continually find items that pose a risk of harm to our children.

“Despite requests from ourselves and local councillors, Places for People refuse to install a fence around the property which would prevent many items from being so easily chucked into the garden, and they rarely send anyone to clean up items that have been dropped over the low metal railing that surrounds the garden.”

She said there are a lot of drunk people passing by from Devonshire Green and West Street at night and they often litter in the garden.

Residents had even spotted someone jumping the railing to urinate where children play and a knife discarded in the garden.

Residents said despite pressure, Places for People had failed to take action on the problems and instead tried to crack down on its own tenants.

Ms Ledger said: “Places for People are apparently so concerned about residents’ safety that they threaten residents who have doormats and pushchairs in the building – items that are in no way obstructing anyone escaping the building should there be a fire. They say that they will remove these things, but yet make no effort to remove used syringes, glass and other rubbish that actually poses a real danger to our children.”

Residents have received help from Green Party councillors Douglas Johnson, Martin Phipps and Angela Argenzio and others are supporting Ms Ledger in setting up a tenants and residents association for the estate.

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A spokesperson for Places for People said: “We are sorry for the condition of our communal garden at Egerton Close. We aim to provide homes and neighbourhoods which are safe and welcoming for our customers and communities. We have a team visiting the neighbourhood today (Friday 13 May) to clear and clean the garden and are reviewing how often we visit to ensure the communal garden is maintained. We are updating customers on our plans and welcome their feedback.”