Vandals destroy entrance door to Manor House apartment complex

VANDALS have smashed the communal entrance door and thrown eggs and paint throughout the lobby of Manor House apartments in Bagenalstown in the latest escalation of ongoing anti-social behaviour at the troubled complex.

An Garda Síochána confirmed to The Nationalist that a report was made on 7 August regarding the incident, which occurred on the evening of 6 August. Video footage circulating on social media shows the lower panel of the communal entrance door completely broken in, with the upper panel badly smashed and broken glass strewn across the entranceway floor.

The destruction continues into the communal hallway and stairway, where broken eggs can be seen on carpets and paint thrown against walls.

The incident has prompted renewed calls for urgent action by local councillor Daniel Pender, who says the persistent problems are having serious knock-on effects for residents and prospective tenants.

“When the front door of a property like that has broken down, it takes away people’s sense of safety,” cllr Pender told The Nationalist. “Maybe the people who broke the door aren’t going to do any break-ins or assaults, but there are people who are afraid to walk up a set of stairs for fear that someone is hiding, that they might be about to mug them.” 

The councillor revealed that some council tenants have turned down places offered in the apartment complex, while some current residents are seeking transfers elsewhere due to the ongoing issues. “I’ve had a few people approach me asking to help get a transfer out of there simply because of this,” he said.

Cllr Pender called for swift action from both the council and gardaí to address the situation before it deteriorates further.

“The council and the gardaí need to nip this in the bud. It’s been ongoing for far too long and they need to take action against the people carrying this out,” he said. “They need to get on with fixing the front door so people can feel some sense of safety, and they need to remove the offenders and deal with them promptly.” 

The councillor emphasised the need for a strong response, saying: “It has to be shown that if you commit a crime and endanger people that makes them feel unsafe in their own homes, there should be zero tolerance for that.

“At the end of the day, council tenants are being failed by the council and swift action is needed,” he added.

This latest incident adds to a pattern of anti-social behaviour at Manor House that has been ongoing for years. In April, as reported by The Nationalist, residents described experiencing a ‘night of hell’ when they were trapped inside their apartment block overnight after vandals smashed the front door windows and damaged the lock using a fire extinguisher. The fire service had to release them the following morning.

That incident was followed by retaliatory damage to post boxes when residents spoke out about their concerns, while downstairs windows in another block were also smashed, affecting a family with a baby.

Residents have previously reported problems with drug use in the flats and strangers loitering in communal areas. One resident, who was too afraid to give her real name, described the situation as “bedlam” and said her “mental health is on the floor”.

The complex ownership structure has complicated efforts to address the problems. While Carlow Co Council leases units in Manor House for social housing, it does not own the building. The council has stated that “responsibility for the overall building, including maintenance and repairs to common areas and shared access points, lies with the property owners”.

Gardaí are currently investigating the latest vandalism incident and are urging anyone with information to come forward. Carlow Co Council was contacted for comment.