Neighbours and business owners living in a town centre road 'blighted by crime' have set up a residents society with the hope of making the street a safer place to be.

Members of the Pudding Lane Residents Association in Maidstone held a Zoom meeting yesterday to discuss antisocial behaviour which they feel is on the rise.

They related tales of constant drunken and drug-induced aggressive behaviour, as well as occasionally more serious incidents including the stabbing of a pregnant mother in her Star House flat and a fight in the street where a hammer and knife were used.

Earlier this month the air ambulance was called to help a woman in a serious condition after a fire took hold in a fourth floor flat.

Maureen Cleator, who is helping co-ordinate the group, said there were many causes.

The 63-year-old said: "County lines drug trafficking is one: another is the lack of support for the people who have been placed in Star House."

All participants dated the start of their troubles to the arrival of council tenants re-housed in the former Star House office block by the London boroughs of Newnham and Waltham Forest.

They have since been joined by some formerly homeless people given emergency accommodation there by Maidstone council.

Mrs Cleator said: "Many of these residents need support from various agencies, but there seems to be no communication between London and Maidstone as to their needs."

One resident, who lives opposite Star House, was keen to emphasise that not all Star House residents were to blame.

She said: "There are some nice young mums with babies in there - but they are afraid to leave their flats too."

Her partner was critical of the owners of Star House. He said: "There's been a broken window there for months!"

However, the freehold owners of Star House have recently put the whole block up for sale - including the 44 flats and the seven retail units on the ground floor. The Property and Mortgage Company, based in Ilford, is seeking £6.9m for the building.

The situation in Pudding Lane was said to be seriously affecting many businesses in the street, with one taxi firm resorting to hiring security staff.

Karen and Jim Rennie, landlords of The Old House At Home pub, said that when their business had been open, their customers were constantly badgered by people trying to cadge cigarettes off them, and becoming abusive if refused.

PCSO James Powell was at the meeting listening to the residents' views.

He promised to take the information back to his superiors and said he would seek a multi-agency approach with Maidstone council to solve the problems.

In the meantime, he stressed the importance of residents and businesses reporting every incident to the police. He said: "We can't respond if we don't know about it."

The group also intends to approach Maidstone council directly for help by asking questions at the meeting of the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee on Tuesday, February 2.

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