Woman flees new home after 'neighbours from hell' installed camera 'spying' on her front door
A woman has been forced to flee her new apartment after her 'neighbours from hell' allegedly installed camera 'spying' on her front door.
Samantha Smith, 21, moved into her 'dream' home in East London earlier this month with her eight-month-old emotional support dog, Bambi.
However, her cocker spaniel puppy seemed to cause some controversy with her neighbours - allegedly leading them to phone the police on her.
On 16 October, Samantha moved into the rented accommodation and took Bambi into the property’s garden. While there, the pooch proceeded to do ‘a little poo’.
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Not realising her pup had relieved itself, Samantha claimed to have ‘popped out’ before spotting the faeces and coming back later to pick it up.
She said that between Bambi defecating and her picking it up, her ‘neighbours from hell’ had reportedly taken a photograph of it and sent it to her landlord.
Samantha said: "I didn't realise she'd done it because she had done it early in the morning. I popped out for a bit, saw it when I came back then quickly picked it up.
“They'd taken a photo in the period in between. I have to let her out in my garden. It's not anyone else's garden - it's attached to my property. Then I got told about it by my landlord the next day.”
Samantha claims her neighbours were so enraged that they called the police on her.
She explained: "I was thinking I'm going to be dealing with neighbours from hell.
"I thought they're trying to get me kicked out.
"A few days later I saw them in the corridor and confronted the male. I asked if it was him who had made the complaint and he said yes. I explained it is a therapy dog and I did pick up the poo and it's my garden.
"I said 'Please just knock on my door if you have an issue,' and explained my dog is an emotional support dog.
"He said to me you're not allowed a dog here but I said it's not just a dog, it's for my disability and in my tenancy agreement it says I'm allowed a disability dog. He stormed off."
The 21-year-old claims that a female neighbour then began ‘screaming down the hallway’ and later was 'banging [around]' in her flat to get a ‘reaction’ from Samantha's dog.
"She's been doing it every day without fail non stop. I've had to stay at friends houses to try and get some sleep," she added.
Following the confrontation, Samantha claimed that a camera had been placed in the communal corridor facing the doorway of her flat.
“I feel very intimidated now they're watching me come in and out of my property. The wire goes through into their flat. They want to spy on me,” she alleged.
"It makes me feel scared to be in my own home. I told my landlord and she doesn't believe it - she's absolutely shocked.”
Samantha claimed that her neighbours are ‘recording her every day’ and that she just wants them to leave her alone.
Despite the duo ‘trying to kick her out’, Samantha said that moving out of the flat, based near Dagenham, is out of the question.
“I don't think moving is an option right now, I've only just moved in. I'm trying to keep busy during the day and have friends stay with me,” she explained.
Police confirmed that officers attended the property in question regarding a neighbour dispute on 22 October.
While no arrests were made, it has now been passed to the local Neighbourhoods Team to resolve the matter.
Ella Scott