A COUPLE claim their lives are blighted by people having sex, injecting drugs, defecating, and urinating next to their home.
Vandals also use the passageway to daub obscene graffiti and tags on the walls, and drunken revellers are often found lying unconscious on the floor.
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Hughie O’Neill, 72, and his wife Chris, 59, are sick to death of the constant stream of anti-social behaviour and want something done pronto.
They have installed CCTV, warning signs and flashing lights in a bid to deter people, but their lives are still “an utter nightmare”.
Hughie, who moved to the property in Brighton from Cambridgeshire two years ago, said: “Prostitutes bring their clients down here and have sex standing against the wall.
“Drug users come down here to shoot up and dealers use it as a safe place to conduct their business.
“Vandals come down here regularly and spray graffiti stuff on the walls and people come down here to defecate and wee.
“We often have to clean up their foul mess in the morning.”
Hughie installed a £2,000 camera system which issues a verbal warning when motion sensors are triggered – but it has had little effect.
“Some people even play up to the video camera, dancing around like idiots and making V-signs,” he added.
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Hughie, who is mainly retired, worked in showbusiness for many years devising magic and conjuring tricks for famous TV magicians Paul Daniels and David Copperfield.
He also used to write comedy routines, skits and jokes for Freddie Starr and Joe Pasquale, but finds nothing funny about his predicament.
The couple, along with other residents and businesses, say they had no idea what they were letting themselves in for when they traded their quiet life in Cambridgeshire for the centre of bustling Brighton.
“We knew it would be livelier,” said Chris. “But we had no idea how unpleasant it would also be.
“It’s been an utter nightmare really. The stress we are under from this anti-social behaviour is incredible.”
Hughie and Chris are constantly calling the police about problems in narrow Poole Passage, and they have even asked the council to allow them to install gates to limit access.
However, officials have refused, saying the alley, which is just yards from the seafront, is a thoroughfare.
‘UTTER NIGHTMARE’
The couple have now written to the Chief Constable of Sussex, Jo Shiner, as well as the council and local Green MP, Caroline Lucas.
Chris, a former West End dancer, said: “Our lives are totally blighted by this and it is making my husband ill.
“He is on tablets because it has made him so depressed. We just want some action.”
Chris and Hughie are among a small number of residents in the area, but nearby businesses are also fed up with the issues.
Mirkan Guner, manager of the Villa Turkish Restaurant, said: “It’s disgusting.
“People pee and poo right outside and we are the ones who have to clear it up.
“We wish they would install some sort of gates.
“Hughie has been fighting this for a long time but we would like to see a proper solution to the problem.”
The stress we are under from this anti-social behaviour is incredible.
Chris
And a chef at the upmarket Indian Summer restaurant described the problem as “appalling”, with drug users the worst of it.
He said the restaurant would support calls for gates to be installed on the passage to put an end to it all.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “We are aware of a number of incidents and anti-social behaviour linked to Pool Passage, and are working alongside residents and community partners to put measures in place to address them.
“This includes the installation of improved and fixed street lighting, extra street cleaning, working with local businesses to help secure their waste bins and engaging with owners of local licensed premises, who are encouraged to remind their customers to be considerate of neighbouring residents.
“Our officers also carry out regular patrols around the city centre, including Pool Passage, as part of ongoing safety work around the night-time economy as well as during the day.”
The Sun has contacted Brighton & Hove City Council for comment.
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