Yesterday morning two Court Bailiffs, little better than a couple of thugs, were attempting to kick in the door of a neighbouring property. They had gone to the wrong property! When the neighbour challenged their actions, demanded to know what they were doing, the bailiffs became very threatening and intimidating and demanded to know who the neighbour was and that he produced ID. The neighbour refused.

Two police officers were also in attendance. When the neighbour tried to explain the situation, one of the officers, a muscle-bound moron little better than the thugs employed as bailiffs, threatened to arrest the neighbour. Challenged to do so (there were no grounds for an arrest) the muscle-bound moron backed down.

The neighbour was trying to explain the situation (the police officers had failed to brief themselves prior to attending). Chris Chelsea, the occupant of the flat, had not been seen for several days, concern was raised as to his wellbeing and his whereabouts. He has serious mental health issues, had noticeably worsened over the last year and had been threatening suicide. There was also a question of the legitimacy of the bailiffs if the Court had not been advised of the mental state of the person they were attempting to evict.

The officers entered the flat, no bodies were found.

A locksmith and the landlord then attended, the locks changed and a notice posted on the door.

The local council are paying the rent for the flat, double its market value, but turning a blind eye to the appalling state of the property. During heavy rain, water is pouring down the walls due to blocked and defective gutters, the gas boiler is defective, the electric wiring is either shorting or has earth leakages causing the trip switches to trip out, within the flat the gas cooker and gas fire has labels applied by British Gas saying too dangerous to use, a sink in the bathroom blocked and full of green water, a heavy door at the top of steep stairs hanging off its hinges waiting to topple and knock someone down the stairs, the steep stairs are in a poor state of repair with a long fall to cellars below should they give way, no door to the kitchen, ceiling tiles that are a fire risk, for the last two or three winters no heating or hot water, and so the list goes on.

The local council is well aware of the many problems, the appalling state of repair, but has refused to carry out any enforcement action on the landlord. The council is also aware of Chris Chelsea's deteriorating mental state. The best they could do was to try and force him to sign an ABC (Agreed Behaviour Contract, alternative or precursor to an ASBO).

Social Services have proved to be little better. They turned up the day before the bailiffs. A case of going through the motions, ticking the appropriate boxes, arses being covered before the shit hits the fan?

Neighbours, a couple of local councillors, have tried to improve the lot of Chris Chelsea, but a nigh impossible task, Chris Chelsea refused to cooperate, and on the rare occasions when he did, they hit a brick wall of lack of cooperation by the dysfunctional housing department at the local council, not for nothing known as the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor. Two housing officials who were directly involved with the case, including the head of housing, have resigned. Complaints were made to the local authority ombudsman, the council lied, the ombudsman took no action.

This is what is jokingly known in modern caring Britain as Care in the Community, in reality Dump in the Community.

Chris Chelsea has been dumped in the community with no support package. Wherever he has lived, he has caused problems and been evicted. The same will happen again wherever he is rehoused.

He has to be housed in sheltered accommodation, or if he is to be housed in the community, then he has to have a proper support package in place that caters for his needs.

Sadly, Chris Chelsea is not an isolated case. At least half a dozen similar if not worse individuals have been dumped by the local council on the rough housing estates in Aldershot, dumped without informing the housing association of their background or their needs, it goes without saying, no support package in place. They suffer, as do all their neighbours.

Last weekend one of these individuals went crazy, started wrecking his flat. Neither the police nor the housing association wanted to know. A delegation of local residents went to visit a former local councillor, and it was only following his intervention that any action was taken.

And what of Chris Chelsea, where is he, what has happened to him, what will happen to him? When the police entered his flat, a pile of unopened mail indicated he had not been home for some days. Neighbours have not seen him for several days, he has not been seen around his usual haunts in the town centre. Should he return home he will find he cannot get in, on his door a notice informing him the locks have been changed.

The notice on the door identifies the landlord as a Dr I K Ibrahim, consultant at three local hospitals, living in a very expensive area outside Farnham in Surrey, home telephone number 01252 783421.

The Truth in Rushmoor we report the truth of what is happening in Rushmoor!