A DAD was furious when he arrived at his new council home with his children to find the garden full of drug addicts’ syringes.

David Cortes, 37, said the alley next to the maisonette where he and his family are due to move next week was so notorious for drug peddling that it has been christened “dealers alley” by the residents.

At the moment Mr Cortes is living with five-year-old Chantelle and Callum, seven, in temporary accommodation in Vange.

For this reason, he says he has no choice but to take the house Basildon Council has offered him in Long Riding, Basildon, despite being disgusted by what he found there.

Mr Cortes said: “We have been living in temporary accommodation for a year, so we have no choice but to accept this property. I was offered this house three weeks ago and I’ve been down there most days. This mess is still there.

“It’s just disgusting. The neighbours say it has been this bad for about five years. People just deal and take their drugs and throw the rubbish in the garden.

It’s so bad it’s called ‘dealers alley’.

“I want this cleared up, as I don’t want to have to be doing it.”

Echo:

When the Echo visited the house, the garden was littered with used syringes and other rubbish, including a mattress, household waste and old furniture.

Neighbours say the house has become the dumping ground for the dealers and addicts, who meet for their seedy transactions in the alley which runs alongside the garden.

Mr Cortes says he wants the council to put gates on the alley, blocking it to anyone other than keyholding residents, to stop drug dealing.

He added:“If my kids are going to be playing in this garden, I don’t want needles coming over the fence.

“Why can’t the council just block it off like it has blocked off alleys in Felmores and Craylands.”

A council spokesman said:“Mr Cortes is not living at this property and has only been made a provisional offer, as it is not ready to be let at this stage.

“The maisonette is empty and issues such as those highlighted get picked up during the void stage and dealt with by the relevant department.

“Internal work is also being carried out on the property.

“We also received a complaint from the gentleman yesterday and this area is being cleared.

“The information about the needles has also been passed onto our antisocial behaviour team and estate officers.”