We don’t want a return to the days of a no-go estate

• THE article by Pavan Amara about the removal of the floral tributes to Andrew Jaipaul left untold the other side of the story, the one about the residents affected by the massive disruption caused by a particular group of mourners (Grieving mum is ordered to remove tributes to son, July 15).

Andrew’s murder site became a place for 24-hour drinking. Parents were complaining about the stench of cannabis and stopped taking their children to the playground. Neighbours got fed up with men urinating against walls and people wanting to use the main thoroughfare through the estate being stopped from doing so because they felt intimidated.

It all became too much when the mourners had a barbecue in front of the gate to 20 homes in Tomlins Walk, forcing residents to choose between staying indoors or wading through a group of drunken hoodies.

Residents on the Andover are still mourning the loss of somebody who grew up on the estate. They are also trying to come to grips with a senseless tragedy and are doing as much as they can to support Andrew’s family.

They organised a meeting with the police, council, Homes for Islington, neighbours and Andrew’s friends which helped defuse some of the tension.

Together with St Mark’s Church and its congregation, residents helped organise a touching service and joined up to provide sandwiches, cakes and beverages for hundreds of mourners that brought some solace to the family and friends, and are collecting funds to help with the funeral.

And residents will continue to support Andrew’s family, but don’t want to witness his murder site becoming the meeting place of men in their early 20s who have breakfast at midday with lager and alcopops and chill out the rest of the day and night taking and selling drugs.

Residents do not want the Andover to go back to the days when it was a dangerous no-go area where even the police dared not enter.

We don’t want a return to the days of a no-go estate

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