Residents say murder house has been plagued by violence for years

Witnesses saw police swarm around 169 Beedell Avenue on Sunday evening as they discovered the body of a man in its kitchen.

Residents told the Echo the house has been a magnet for violence, with some neighbours considering moving out of the area because of it.

In March, two machetewielding thugs left two men with deep lacerations to their head and legs after an attack at the address.

Alex Harding, 32, who has lived in nearby Fairfax Drive for about six years, now limits when his children, aged three and 14, can leave the house.

He said: “When we first moved in, there was a woman living there who ran a cafe in town and she was really nice.

“She sold up a few years ago and since then it has been a problem, but in the last year it has got worse.

“About a month ago there was a fight in the street and some guy climbed up the outside of 169 and in through the window – it seems to attract problems.

“I worry about my children’s safety and what time they the go out, but there are problems everywhere.

“It won’t be too long before they leave and the problem moves somewhere else, but they need help, not just moving on.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: “That house is known for having problems, there’s no denying it, we live in a horrible neighbourhood.

“You could see everyone around here checking to see they’d locked their doors properly and we were terrified until two police officers knocked on our door to say there was no danger to the public.

“Then in the morning, my mum saw the body bag being brought out...it was horrific.

“I don’t want to see anybody hurt, but it’d be better if that house was just burnt down.

“I am fed up of the police being there, but there’s nothing they can do.

“You get fights, people trying to break doors down, shouting from the street and threatening people inside.”

The Echo understands the house was once managed by the Ark Project, the St Saviour’s church’s housing association.