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"We found faeces on the stairs, we didn't know if it was dog or human - we don't ask questions round here."

The single mum shrugs her shoulders as we head inside what some residents have dubbed the city's 'worst' tower block.

Here, inside Pitmeadow House in Druids Heath, families with young children brush shoulders with drug dealers, addicts and thugs who smash the windows just for fun.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Children are told to hold their breath as they enter smoke-filled lifts, where pushchairs are blocked by dumped bin bags - and human spit covers the navigation buttons.

This tower block is so blighted by anti-social behaviour, the council has even had to issue warnings not to spit, smoke in lifts or foul in corridors.

For the struggling families left with nowhere else to go, it is a 'disgusting and terrifying' place to be - but at least it's a roof over their heads, they say.

Sonia Jackson was homeless and facing life on the streets with her son before the council found them a flat here - but locals were quick to warn of the block's notoriety.

"When I mentioned where I was moving, they said it was the worst one on the estate," she said.

"We always joke once you're in, you're not getting out," she laughs.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

The mum-of-one, who is studying hairdressing at college while also raising her son, explains: "We have had dirty nappies, chairs on the stairs. There is normally rubbish everywhere, all in the lift too.

"The caretakers come once or twice a day, but they shouldn't have to."

The entrance, said to usually be blocked by dumped bin bags, was empty when we visited but stank of bleach.

We walk through the space leading off into the flats and Sonia says: "This is where all the kids come to smoke when it's raining."

"It's when people start smashing windows. Last year all these windows were put through," she gestures to the main entrance where there's a dozen or so windows.

"They smashed all the lights too, it was petrifying.

"My son was so scared, it was awful, especially when you hear all the bangs and everything.

"We have had all sorts. My brother came and visited me and was mortified to find faeces on the stairs."

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

The families living in the tower have found their own ways of coping with the problems, which they say range from fighting and drugs to flytipping and vandalism.

"Me and my son use our coats or keys to press the buttons in the lift, because they spit on them," Sonia says.

"You get a lot of spitting, the fact that you need a sign inside to tell you not to spit, says it all.

A look at crime in and around Pitmeadow House These are the crime stats in and around Pitmeadow House for 2019, according to police.uk. November Anti-social behaviour 1 Criminal Damage and Arson 3 Vehicle Crime 1 October Burglary 2 Criminal Damage and Arson 1 Violence and Sexual offences 1 September Criminal Damage and Arson 1 Other theft 1 Violence and Sexual offences 2 August Anti-social behaviour 1 Other theft 1 Violence and sexual offences 2 July Public order 1 Violence and sexual offences 4 June Criminal damage and arson 2 Violence and sexual offences 2 May Anti-social behaviour 1 Criminal damage and arson 1 Violence and sexual offences 2 April Anti-social behaviour 2 Public order 1 Violence and sexual offences 3 March Anti-social behaviour 2 Possession of weapons 1 February Burglary 2 Possession of weapons 1 January Anti-social behaviour 1 Criminal damage and arson 1 Public order 1 Violence and sexual offences 4

"My son struggles with the smell and the sights here. It stinks of majuana. The smell fills your flat so much that some of the girls on my course ask me: 'what's that smell?'

"I say, 'It's not me, I don't smoke it I swear, it just clings to my coat'."

Sonia has tried to move to another property, but in terms of the number of bedrooms and area she says the council says she is "adequately housed".

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Residents are unsure who is causing all the mess, whether it is people living in the tower or their visitors.

Sonia says: "They [the council] are trying to find out who is doing it.

"But it's a roof, so I'm not going to complain.

"Lots of people say 'you're on benefits you've got a roof', so most of us just keep shut up."

Along with council notices urging residents not to spit, the noticeboard featured a scathing letter from another resident - who branded their own block as a "f*** place" full of "f***** tramps".

It has since been taken down but it read: "This f*** place is a joke. Rubbish either on landings or in the lifts or on the stairs. AIN't you f***** tramps got no general hygiene. Sort ya f***** s*** out man."

Elsewhere in the block, another mum - forced into the flats amid hefty deposit requests and a demand for upfront payments - reveals the exact same concerns from behind a half-closed door.

A young child in a babygrow runs back and forth and hides behind his mum's leg as she speaks of drug dealers, urinating and fighting.

"There's a lot of drug dealers around. It's a bad area. You can't find any worse unfortunately," says the mum, who did not wish to be named.

"They fill the lift with smoke, it takes ten minutes to clear the smoke and the smell.

"My son says to me 'mum it smells', I have to tell him to hold his breath when we're going downstairs."

Perhaps reflective of the area surrounding the tower block - which is one of the most deprived in Birmingham - the mum tells how a flatmate had begged her for food while another asked if she wanted cannabis.

She adds: "Once a man asked me if he could come home with me, he kept asking and asking.

"I said no, I have children in my home. I had someone knocking to see if I wanted to buy drugs, but they got the wrong door.

"A lady who lives upstairs came to me. She said 'I have been left with no money, nothing' - and asked could she have some food."

She too says bin bags are usually dumped in stairwells, corridors and lifts - but she often dons a pair of gloves and cleans them herself.

"The bin bag issue has been raised to the council, they've been looking into it. I have got a pushchair and if the lift is full of bin bags, I can't get past them. I just get a pair of gloves on and move the bags myself.

"The cleaning staff see all the problems every morning. We have cleaning lady coming unpaid on a Sunday because she knows all of us.

"They urinate, they spit, I found a bag of drugs once, it was a bag of weed. You get a lot of violence as well, drunk people fighting with their partners."

She added that vandalism was an issue too and gestured to a newly-replaced door which was smashed up for no reason.

Contact Us Have you been affected by this story? Do you have an issue you want us to investigate or something you want to share from your area? Let me know by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com, tweeting me @JournoBalloo or calling 07747078285. Read more by Stephanie Balloo here. Contact Us Have you been affected by this story? Do you have an issue you want us to investigate or something you want to share from your area? Let me know by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com, tweeting me @JournoBalloo or calling 07747078285. Read more by Stephanie Balloo here.

"They break the windows because they can't get access to the flat," she said.

"They say 'I lost my fob, can you let me in please?' Then they get mad and they break in through the window.

"You get young kids smoking down stairs with the gangs.

"They spit, it's gross, it makes my skin crawl, it's digusting. They had to put notes on the wall, asking people not to leave stuff around, not to spit.

"The council has been looking at the problems, they are trying to help as much as they can."

Residents say Birmingham City Council has been made aware of the issues and is doing all it can to fix the problems.

What did the council say?

A lengthy statement from the council revealed the action being taken against the problems inside Pitmeadow House.

It also added it was aware a group of youths were causing criminal damage to the block and others in the Druids Heath area.

A spokesperson for the council said: "The Housing Service is working in partnership with West Midland Police to tackle issues in Pitmeadow House. Local residents have reported issues in regards to Anti-Social Behaviour (Spitting, Smoking drugs, vandalism, Rubbish left out on landings and stairwells).

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

"The local housing team is carrying out joint visits with Police in the block on a regular basis following up any complaints we receive. Our caretaking staff work tirelessly to ensure the residents safety by removing all rubbish throughout on a daily basis, as many times as needed.

"There is also an out of hours service should the tenants see any emergency cleaning issues. The local housing team also distributes newsletters if there is a particular problem that residents can assist with.

"The local caretaking staff are a dedicated team who have their residents safety and comfort foremost in their daily job. The estate caretaker for Pitmeadow House has also been known when visiting friends to remove rubbish in the block over a weekend.

"We are at present working with West Midlands Police and the Youth Offending Service with a group of youths in the area that are causing criminal damage to several blocks in Druids Heath. We have visited parents and several Acceptable Behaviour Contracts have been signed.

"Birmingham City Council will continue to ensure residents have a safe and clean environment to live in."

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