‘You name it, they were doing it’
University students told neighbours not to park cars outside their own homes – before having a rowdy all-night party.
They wrote a letter to locals in the quiet Kemsing Gardens in Canterbury in Kent on Saturday warning them about an upcoming ”barbecue” and encouraged them to park elsewhere overnight.
Despite promising to keep the noise down neighbours say they were kept up until 4am by up to 500 party-goers – and left to clean up the mess.
Residents eventually called police after party-goers were seen doing drugs and even fighting in the streets – with one person seen wielding a baseball bat.
One neighbour, Paul Barba, 68, said the street had been left strewn with broken glass, laughing gas canisters and beer cans.
Paul, a retired civil servant who has lived in Kemsing Gardens for decades, said: “We felt completely unsafe, intimidated and not part of the community.
“Even with every window in the house closed, it was still too loud for us to get any sleep.
“Nobody should be expected to live like this.”
The letter to homeowners said the “barbecue” would take place between 9pm and 4am.
“There may be several people parking around the area and additional noise from music and guests,” it explained.
“We wanted to apologise in advance for any inconveniences and will do our very best to keep the music level and noise to a respectable level and ensure that our guests leave quietly.
“We strongly encourage residents to park on a different road to help ensure no vandalism or damages are made to any vehicles.”
Photos of the road the next day show the carnage left after the event, which at one point made the road so rammed with vehicles and people that one neighbour spent 20 minutes trying to leave her driveway.
Paul’s wife Rani added: “Why should I have to spend my time and my energy cleaning up other people’s mess?.
“Sometimes it feels like we are living in a student campus.”
Despite the allegations, the students claim that the event was a “normal party” with no more than 90 attendees.
One said: “We had organised security, and we sent out the letter to make it more professional.
“There was a bit of commotion outside when people were leaving but other than that everything went averagely well.”
The property has signs on the wall near the door saying “no drinking” and “no smoking” – but another resident, Barry Young, claims students were downing alcohol and using illegal substances late into the night.
The postal worker also called the police after a fight broke out outside his house.
He said: “You name it, they were doing it. We had a gentleman with a baseball bat who decided he would have a little scuffle with someone right opposite my house.
“And then on Sunday night they decided to have another party, which, in fairness, wasn’t as bad but still it started around midnight and finished around 3.30am.
“Many of the people who live here are carers, they’re up leaving for work at five in the morning and, bless them, they haven’t been getting much sleep.
“I appreciate the students need to let their hair down at the end of term. I don’t have a problem with that, but they need to think about the other residents who still live here.
“One of my neighbours was going on holiday and had to leave for the airport, but the road was chock-a-block with cars and people – it took her 20 minutes just to get out of her driveway.”
Police say they were called to a report of a possible disturbance in Kemsing Gardens shortly before 11pm on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Kent Police said officers attended the property and spoke to those present, but “no criminal offences were established.”
Regal Estates, which manages the property where the party was held, says the tenants will “bear the full consequences of their actions”.
A spokesperson added: “We were only aware of the event after it happened unfortunately, but it was acted upon immediately. The university have also been contacted.
“We have contacted the tenants and their guarantors today and are treating this incident extremely seriously as it is a breach of their agreement.
“The tenants will bear the full consequences of their actions. However, as you can appreciate, we cannot control or prevent the actions of tenants, nor can we monitor them 24 hours a day.
“We can only take action once we are aware of a situation and can then take the relevant course of action within our jurisdiction to do so, which we have done and will continue to do.
“It is extremely disappointing that the tenants have caused such disruption within a community.
“We do not support the behaviour of these tenants and would never encourage such behaviours, or expect it.”
The University of Kent, which is understood to be where many of the partygoers study, said: “We take our role and responsibility as a good neighbour very seriously and value our close relationship with the local communities we serve.
“We regularly remind our students to be considerate and respectful of their neighbours on and off campus and of the potential consequences when they fail to do so.
“We also take all complaints against students seriously and encourage any members of our local community who may have an issue with our students to contact our Community Liaison Team.”
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