A WOMAN living in Rhyl has told of how issues such as bullying and a lack of cleanliness at the block of flats where she resides left her “really, really depressed”.

The woman, who asked not to be named, has lived alone in the flat, owned by housing association ClwydAlyn, for almost five years, saying it was the first property she was offered after her separation.

Incidents which have left her scared, she said, have included being left with a black eye following a punch from a neighbour, and having possessions stolen from her flat.

She is in band two for Denbighshire County Council (DCC)’s Single Access Route To Housing (SARTH) service, and despite certain issues beginning to subside, she remains desperate to move elsewhere.

The woman said: “There have been things which have been particularly aimed at me; if I’m honest, I don’t really fit in.

“I’ve been stolen off in my own home, I’ve been harassed by other residents, I’ve had drug dealers living in the same building who used to bang on my door daily.

“One girl punched me and gave me a black eye.

“I’ve seen two dead bodies be removed from other properties, people lying in the street drunk at 7am; police used to be down here two or three times a day.

“I’ve had people standing outside their flats across the road staring up at my window, which had a massive effect on my mental health, to the point that I didn’t want to go out.”

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Mice are also regularly spotted in the property, the woman added, to the extent that she no longer feels shocked at the sight of them.

She also urged for more recycling facilities at the facilities, and for windows better equipped to keep cold air out.

The woman said: “The worst thing is the dirtiness. I live adjacent to an alleyway, and at the moment, there are two mattresses, a broken table, and a binbag just dumped there.

“The mice situation has been ongoing since I’ve lived here, to the point now where, yes, it bothers me, but I just think: ‘Oh, another mouse’. It’s disgusting.

“Just before Christmas, I had a mouse on my kitchen worktop, in broad daylight, eating my bread.

“I’ve always been very big on recycling, but there’s absolutely nowhere to recycle down this street. Everything goes out in bins, which the seagulls get into.

“The front windows are so old that they let the cold in.”

Though the woman feels her mental health has improved somewhat, she is still intent on relocating, and pleaded for more help from DCC in doing so.

She described her flat as “the one thing holding me back”.

The woman added: “I don’t want to be here. I’d give anything to move, and to be closer to my friends and family.

“I’m a lot stronger now, because I’ve just learnt to deal with things. I go to work and switch off from it, and live a normal life.

“I’m off the streets as much as I can be, I go for walks at the weekend, so I deal with it in that way.

“But when I was really, really depressed, it was horrendous. I used to cry all the time, and beg for a new flat or a spare room where I could stay.

“I have a support worker who’s supposed to help me find properties, but as she’s said, there’s just nothing out there.

“I’m trying to move forward, but the one thing holding me back is where I live.

“I’d love to get Matt Lucas and David Walliams to come here for a week; I bet they’d make a great comedy sketch out of it.”

Last July, DCC leader, Cllr Jason McLellan, said he wishes to reinvest council funds into building affordable homes and buying new council houses.

These plans came about after a council report revealed roughly 180 households in the county are placed in temporary accommodation annually.

A spokesperson for DCC said: “We do acknowledge that there are waiting times for accommodation, an issue that also impacts many other councils nationally.

“We are working hard to reduce the list by fully addressing the need for more housing provision.

“The council’s teams will always try their best to hurry along any processes as quickly as possible to support welfare and will continue to work with individuals and families to provide a satisfactory resolution.”

The concern of mice was reported to ClwydAlyn on December 20, and officers arranged for pest control to visit the flat, as well as the communal area in the property.

They attended the property to arrange treatment, and ClwydAlyn said they are due to be visiting again to review the situation and make arrangements to close any holes.

A spokesperson for ClwydAlyn said: “We are saddened to hear of some the comments the resident has made, and we will work with them to investigate their concerns further.

“This is a multi-tenure street in Rhyl with properties owned by ClwydAlyn as well as private landlords.

“We acknowledge that there is an issue with litter on the street and are working closely with DCC to tackle this issue.

“ClwydAlyn’s cleaning team visit the street on a weekly basis to clean the communal areas in the properties as well as litter pick outside the properties.

“We know that there is a link between the litter and vermin; we appreciate that it’s an unpleasant experience to have mice in your home.

“Our officers responded to the report promptly, working with partners to get the problem resolved as quickly and effectively as possible.

“Pest control treatments have already been implemented in the property and a second visit has been arranged to take more action if required and to close any holes in the property.”

ClwydAlyn acknowledged that there have been challenges with anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the area of Rhyl concerned.

But it said that the number of reports has reduced following on from the success of the Safer Streets initiative, a multi partnership venture between ClwydAlyn, Denbighshire County Council and North Wales Police in 2021.

This saw the area benefit from a £500,000 grant to design and deliver crime prevention interventions, helping residents to feel safer in their community.

The funding from this initiative provided:

• Increased CCTV coverage of the area.

• Installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.

• Delivery and installation of 626 burglary crime prevention packs to residents.

• Refurbishment of alley-gates and replacement of locks with digital locks.

• Provision of new lighting in two alleyways to improve natural surveillance in the area.

• Implementation of the new North Wales Community Alert system.

The spokesperson added: “Following this campaign, we have seen the number of ASB reports drop, and we hope this trend will continue as we remain committed to support our tenants and work with them to tackle such matters.

“Our housing team work proactively with our partners to help resolve and prevent anti-social behaviour in our communities, as we want people to feel safe in their homes.”

James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd, said he is trying to reach out to the woman to try to help with her situation.