Leeds woman 'had stroke after stress caused by nightmare neighbour'
A Leeds resident who is desperate for the council to evict her nightmare neighbour claims the stress and lack of sleep resulted in her having a stroke.
Adrienne Hatton, 77, has lived in her home at a retirement housing complex in the Whinmoor area of Leeds since August 2023. She says the problems began the day her new neighbour moved in during October of the same year, and she is now at breaking point.
The 77-year-old woman says the constant noise and disruption caused by her nightmare neighbour has left her on ‘suicide watch’. Adrienne moved to the residential complex after her former neighbour attempted to set her flat on fire.
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For almost a year she has been battling anti-social behaviour from another 'nightmare resident', who leaves her feeling like a prisoner in her own home. Adrienne spoke to Leeds Live in January about the issues she has been dealing with. Since then, she has been left unable to sleep and her mental health has spiralled due to the constant loud music, swearing, shouting, and banging on her walls.
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At the time, Leeds City Council said they were taking the report seriously and were following the processes in place, however, noted some cases are "complex and take more time to fully investigate". Explaining her daily plight, Adrienne claimed: “Since the first night they moved in, it’s been awful.
“[The neighbour] is constantly noisy, they bang on my walls during the night, [the neighbour] shouts and swears at me through the walls - and at other neighbours passing by in the street. Even the school children are frightened to pass by here because [the neighbour] jumps out and scares them.
“The problem has become worse in the last couple of months and the behaviour has become more threatening towards myself and other neighbours. All they want to do is sit and drink all day and cause us problems.
"We need to get them out because it’s not safe for us to live here. I’m too frightened to leave my home - and a number of the other residents are too.”
Adrienne says she has been ‘unable to sleep' since the neighbour moved in. In July of this year, she sadly suffered from a stroke, which she believes is due to the stress and lack of sleep caused by her nuisance neighbour. “I stayed in hospital after the stroke, and when they discharged me I cried,” she explained. “I told the nurses I didn’t want to go home because he was still there and was continuously causing me problems. I was frightened to go back to my own home.”
Adrienne says she is the youngest person who lives in the development at age 77, and explained that many of the other residents are aged in their 80s and 90s.
“I’m not just doing this for myself, I’m doing this for all of the other people living here too. We need to get him out," she said. “The lady who lives on the other side of me is also now in respite in St Gemma’s [Hospice in Leeds]. She is extremely ill with the stress and doctors are saying now she may never come home after living here for nearly 40 years without a problem before the neighbour arrived.”
The nuisance caused by the neighbour has had a huge impact on Adrienne’s mental health - she explained she has now been put on suicide watch under both the police and council, and her doctor has stopped several of her medications because he is so concerned for her welfare.
She continued: “If I have to put up with this for much longer, I don’t know if I can take much more. I’ve been ill several times with this and the wardens [of the development] know that. I lost eight kilos when I was in hospital with the stroke, and by the time I came home I couldn’t bring myself to eat because of the stress.
“I have PCSO’s come and see me when they can. When there has been trouble at night they’ve had to come up here and sit with me because I’ve been so terrified. I don’t feel safe with him living next door at all - I just don’t know what else to do, or how much more I can take.”
The 77-year-old explained that Leeds City Council ’s anti-social behaviour team have been supporting herself and the other residents with the issue. Earlier this year, the residents were all asked to submit noise nuisance diaries. She said a file has now been put together which is in the hands of the council’s legal department. If successful, the application will lead to the eviction of Adrienne’s nightmare neighbour - something which she says has been a long time coming.
Adding: “The application has been with the legal department for over six weeks now but there’s been no movement. I myself cannot carry on like this but it seems like the legal department is doing nothing - they’re just sitting on the report.
“As tenants, it feels like we’re all going up against a brick wall. I don’t think the council care about their tenants - elderly or otherwise - and they don’t understand because they don’t have to live next to him. An eviction is definitely on the cards, we just need the legal team to sign the papers so we can finally get him out.”
While Adrienne is frustrated at the amount of time it is taking to pass the eviction papers, she explained that the council’s team has been a great support for her throughout this period. “The council's PCSOs have been brilliant,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll phone me in the middle of the night if they’re on duty or they’ll text me, ‘Are you alright? How are you?’, or they’ll knock on my door and check that I’m ok. The council should be really proud of that. If it wasn’t for their help, I don’t know if I would still be here."
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: "Leeds City Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour team is actively investigating this case. During this investigation, we are required by law to recognise the complex needs not only of the victim but also that of the neighbour responsible.
“We conducted a thorough investigation to do all we can to ensure the court application can be dealt with at the first hearing and obtain the most appropriate outcome for the victims. There have been extensive communications between the ASB team and our legal services between April 2024 to the end of July 2024 when the application was sent to court. This has resulted in a court date now confirmed in October.
“The team are working in partnership with West Yorkshire Police and responding to any other service requests or calls relating to this case and have a reactive plan to support the residents affected. We take our responsibility to keep all our residents safe and are committed to continued learning and development from each case where we feel this is appropriate."
For anyone who is struggling with their mental health, 24/7 help is available from the Samaritans. Call 116 123 or visit their website .
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