A woman says she has been left terrified to live in her own home, which has been the target of threatening messages and repeatedly smashed windows.
The woman, who rents a three bedroom house and lives with her nephew and dog, says the property, in Hull, has been subjected to anti-social behaviour and criminal damage since February. She's experienced threatening messages being written on the front door, banging on the house late at night and multiple windows smashed.
Consequently, she says she now only ever ventures downstairs to feed her fish. The woman has sought council help to move home and is willing to move into temporary accommodation, as long as she can take her pet dog with her.
She told HullLive : "It's quite frightening, to be fair. I've sort of gone upstairs with my dog and packed everything up downstairs. I shouldn't have to live like that. I come down to feed my fish and that's it."
Threatening messages written in pen on the door have included "Windos are getting smashed! Knock you clean out" and "Dead Man Walking. Watch your back wait till I get you". The door has also been banged on at unsociable hours of the night.
A living room window was damaged in the first spate of incidents directed at the property. Things had seemed to have quietened down until April 30, when the kitchen window was smashed mid-afternoon, with a gate lock damaged as well. The window was boarded up after the bank holiday weekend.
Multiple incidents have been logged with the police. Not long after the first threatening messages appeared in late February, the woman says she started seeking an alternative home to move to with her adult nephew and dog. Not having any luck initially finding a private let, she sought help from Hull City Council.
In the wake of the smashed kitchen window, she had been offered temporary accommodation on May 3 by the council, but turned it down due to concerns about her pet Staffie, Zara, and where belongings she could not fit in with her would be stored. "They wanted to put me into a hotel where I can't take the dog with me. My dog's my life, she's just kind of like having a child."
She cautiously lets Zara out into the garden but says she doesn't let her out of her sight. The woman says she is willing to move into temporary accommodation, provided she can take her dog with her and is reassured about the belongings she can't fit in being safely stored.
While she lives in a three bedroom house currently, she is seeking a "two bedroom house, with a garden for the dog, and ideally with a balcony". A Hull City Council spokeswoman confirmed that the council has sought to help the woman move and said: "As a result of the threats made against her, we have offered help and advice about the type of accommodation available to her and on the bidding process for council properties.
"When bidding for council housing, due to the limited amount of homes available, we would encourage her to bid on properties which are suitable to her household make up and also to consider applying to rent from a housing association or private landlord, which would increase her chances of success."
A Humberside Police spokeswoman confirmed a report of a window having been smashed between 2pm and 6.30pm on Saturday, April 30: "We are investigating this incident and a number of previous reports of criminal damage and antisocial behaviour in this area to identify those responsible and bring them to justice for their actions.
"Anyone with information about this incident should call our non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 16/50787/22."
