Antisocial behaviour in Kells estates 'must be dealt with"

Effective action is needed to curb antisocial behaviour by a minority of local authority tenants, a Kells Town Councillor has claimed. Cllr Sean Drew said a growing number of tenants in two of Kells" local authority housing estates have complained to him in recent months. 'In Blackwater Heights, a house has effectively been turned into a drinking den, resulting in numerous calls to the emergency services, including the ambulance and Gardai,' he said. 'This behaviour is causing considerable distress and upset to the estate"s long-established residents.' Cllr Drew said that people in the estates affected are too afraid to speak out about the problem because the threats are so bad. 'I have also received complaints relating to antisocial behaviour by young people in Magdalene Court. It is over six months since I started receiving complaints about these activities. The frustration felt by the majority of law-abiding tenants, who feel nothing is happening, can be seen in the high numbers seeking transfers out of the estate,' the local councillor claimed. Cllr Drew is urging the council and the Garda authorities to liaise on this issue. 'It is unacceptable that a small minority of tenants can cause so much upset to the majority of law-abiding residents. These estates are our estates and need to be managed in an effective manner, and if the only solution is to withdraw the tenancy for problem tenants, then this should be done,' he said. Cllr Drew has included the issue on the agenda of the next meeting of Kells Town Council.