Residents despairing at constant ‘drug-fuelled’ parties at local holiday home
Southeast London locals are claiming their lives have been made miserable by a holiday let – which is constantly being used to host ‘drug-fuelled’ parties into the early hours of the morning.
Neighbours say that the situation at a nearby Booking.com accomodation in Bromley, southeast London, has become ‘catastrophic’.
They have called the Metropolitan Police and Bromley Council multiple times over noise and antisocial behaviour at the events, but claim nothing has been done to shut them down.
It is understood the property is being booked using the website Booking.com.
Wioletta Pawlowska, who lives next door to the property in West Street, described the parties as drug-fuelled and ‘dangerous’, but said she felt powerless to stop them.
She first contacted the council in August, and believed that the situation had improved after there were no major disturbances during the following month.
But according to the neighbour, two weeks ago there were three large gatherings of up to 50 young people within the space of four days.
It was at these events that she claims she witnessed partygoers climbing into her back garden, as well as shouting, fighting, drinking and ‘drug-taking’ on the street outside the home, she claims.
Ms Pawlowska said: ‘If the council cannot do anything and if the police cannot do anything, then how can I live like this? I cannot accept this behaviour. I saw people rolling a joint and smoking marijuana.
‘They make a mess, and you can see how much laughing gas they used. I did not sleep the whole night.’
Agata, who declined to give her surname, has also lived next door to the party property for three years.
The mum-of-two says she has had enough of teenagers leaving litter, doing drugs, and keeping her children up all night with their parties.
She said: ‘When the house was first rented out it was families staying there, but for the last year and a half every weekend there is a party.
‘I can hear literally every word. There are a lot of drugs, and I can smell the weed in my flat. They leave a lot of rubbish, and it brings in loads of rats.
‘Mostly what makes me mad is the drugs and the mess. The parties go on all night. When I left at 6am for work they were still partying. My seven-year-old was up at 1am because of the music, she couldn’t sleep.’
The resident says there were a lot of Halloween parties in the last few weeks with teenagers, who she claims were around 16-years-old.
She claims to have written to the council and called the police multiple times with no results.
Agata also says the teenagers have been very aggressive when she has asked them to keep off her property.
She added: ‘I understand that people want to have fun, but they are so aggressive. I believe they are a threat. The council haven’t done anything, I have just given up.
‘I am paying a lot of rent to live here and I am not feeling safe anymore because you never know what those kids could do. They came here almost naked. It is not a good example for my kids to see that.’
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that they responded to reports of noise disturbances at large gatherings in West Street on both October 25 and the following day.
Officers reported that they provided ‘noise reduction advice’ on the first evening, but that there was ‘no evidence of any criminal offence taking place’.
The next day, police attended the scene again, but officers said there was no crowd in the street.
A spokesperson for the Met said: ‘We understand the impact antisocial behaviour can have on residents and officers from the Bromley safer neighbourhoods team will review this incident and contact the victim to discuss this issue further.’
A listing described as being located in West Street can be found on Booking.com.
One of the photos of the accommodation shows that the front door number is 27B, and can be booked for around £150 per night for six people.
The listing does say it will not allow ‘hen, stag or similar parties’.
Ms Pawlowska was recently given a phone number by a cleaner who was working in the home after one of the parties. She was told this number would get her through to the cleaner’s ‘boss’.
The woman on the other end of the number, who did not give her name, said: ‘As soon as I do get told, I do go straight down and evacuate everybody out. I don’t really have much else to say on the issue apart from I’m just doing everything I can in my power.’
A Bromley Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of reports that have been made regarding this address. In some instances, Council Officers or the Police attended at the time of the report.
‘If a report is made, to take formal enforcement action, we need the resident to collect supporting evidence in the form of a diary record, without this supporting evidence of frequent disturbance, the investigation cannot proceed to enforcement.’
A Booking.com spokesperson said: ‘When a property owner signs up to list with Booking.com, they agree to our terms and conditions.
‘If we are made aware of an issue or complaint we will review and take further action as needed, which could mean removing the property from our platform.’
