Residents of a block of flats in Larnaca said on Monday they were at their wit’s end over what they described as “African terrorism” and called for the immediate intervention of police and the immigration department.

Last week, police and the Larnaca district self-government organisation (EOA) confirmed serious and longstanding problems at the complex, including complaints over tampered water and electricity meters, illegal occupation or rental of apartments, hygiene problems and dangerous buildings.

Chairman of the building’s administrative committee Marios Fotiou said residents were living in fear and claimed drug trafficking was among the many problems they faced.

One tenant told Sigma TV: “This is African terrorism. They have taken over the block, they don’t pay rent, they don’t pay anything. It is a drug ghetto, they are trafficking, they are doing everything.”

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The same tenant said police had only turned up once.

“We are in danger and this must end,” he said.

Another resident complained that “they are stealing water and electricity, they don’t pay rent, they are stalling the work of the committee, they are threatening and destroying the block of flats”.

Residents, he added, were frightened but would not abandon their homes.

“We are frightened, but we will not leave. We will stay with the committee to fix everything. I have been here since I was 12 or 13 years old,” he said.

A third tenant described the complex as an “African ghetto”, but said Africans were not the only people causing problems.

“About 24 hours ago, when the administrator cut off the water supply, a man of Syrian origin went up and reconnected it. They are not paying rent and no one can tell them anything,” he explained.

Fotiou said the complex was facing “serious problems” that went beyond the external condition of the buildings.

Following letters warning about the dangerous condition of the buildings, the administrative committee appointed civil engineers and is now awaiting their report.

Fotiou alleged that a “criminal organisation” was operating inside the complex, claiming that four or five individuals appeared to have taken control of around 30 flats, which they were subletting to third parties without the owners’ consent.

He added that the Electricity Authority (EAC) had responded immediately to complaints about illegal connections and disconnected the flats concerned from the main board. The EAC had also identified serious safety issues involving exposed wires and unsafe connections.

Fotiou claimed the flats were subsequently reconnected illegally and said he had received threatening phone calls from withheld numbers.

He said tenants had also been “terrorised”, prompting the administrative committee to report the incidents to police and demand action.

According to Fotiou, corridors on the mezzanine level of the building had been turned into a creche for around a dozen children. He called for the intervention of the welfare services to establish the conditions under which the facility was operating.

He also said the committee had received information alleging that the building was being used for drug trafficking.

Tenants had also complained that they were being denied access to their flats until they paid cash, he said.

Fotiou called on the immigration department to invoke relevant legal provisions to arrest, detain and deport individuals who pose a threat to public safety and order.

“There must be arrests, they must be remanded and immediately deported,” he said.

Chairman of the Larnaca EOA Angelos Hadjicharalambous said the complex had been on the authorities’ radar for many years.

He clarified that the EOA’s involvement was limited to matters concerning the safety of the buildings and said warnings had been sent to all residents.

The EOA, he added, was also in contact with the administrative committee over the buildings’ safety.

Regarding other complaints, including the alleged tampering with water and electricity supplies, Hadjicharalambous said these were matters for police.

Complaints had been made last week by  committee over conditions at the complex.

Larnaca police spokesman Spyros Chrysostomou told the Cyprus News Agency that complaints concerning the complex had been filed with police from time to time, either by the committee or individual flat owners.

Police are currently investigating complaints involving interference with water and electricity meters, he said.