Joshua Parfitt
A GROUP of British pensioners are pleading for help after their block of flats descended into ‘hell’ due to squatters.
The expats – who have lived in the Denia urbanisation for over a decade – are desperate after a mob of ‘gypsies and squatters’ began breaking in five years ago.
They insist neither the police or local authorities have helped to tackle the illegal occupants, who have taken over 25 of the 64 apartments in the Mirador Monte Pedrera complex in Denia.
“They have turned what was once a lovely village into a no-go area,” said the 72-year-old, who is too frightened to give her name out of fear of retaliation.
The British resident continued that the squatters had punched a number of pensioners and even ‘broke a handyman’s arm’ with baseball bats.
“We came here for a peaceful retirement and what we’ve got is hell on earth,” she told the Olive Press.
“My partner got punched in the gut and the eye by one for simply asking to turn down a karaoke system blaring out during siesta hours,” she continued.
They are due to attend court this week over the assault, but are not expecting anything to be done.
Other residents, who include Germans and Spaniards, have also come under attack.
“A handyman tried to stop three men breaking into an apartment and was thrashed by baseball bats just five weeks ago,” the pensioner said.
“They broke his arm in two places, and the assailants are still walking around as if nothing happened.”
The problems began when the recession curtailed sales of the apartments of the block, which was built in 2007, and only 11 of the 64 apartments were sold.
Many of the vacant homes were quickly seized by the squatters, a number of them even being sublet for money, the pensioner claimed.
“Just last week I saw them break the locks off three new houses,” she said.
Collectively the 11 owners are having to cover all the communal bills for the urbanisation, which includes a ‘€20,000 debt’ incurred by squatters stealing electricity and water
In addition, they claim the developer owes €200,000 to the community, due to a backlog of unpaid bills and lack of maintenance.
The community pool is empty and ‘filled with dirt’, meanwhile there are ‘no lights’ in the garages.
Police, however, are unable to enter the properties as it is private land.
“We have got to keep fighting this, otherwise we let them win,” the pensioner added.
