Residents living in a quiet Minehead street say they are living in fear following a rise in alleged anti-social behaviour, culminating in a car being vandalised during a late-night disturbance.

People living in Periton Lane have contacted the Free Press to voice concerns about incidents they say have escalated since a new family moved into a property managed by Magna Housing earlier this year.

The latest incident happened on the evening of Friday July 17 when, according to residents, a man known to the occupants of the house arrived before smashing the windows of a car parked outside, damaging the front door while allegedly attempting to gain entry and covering the vehicle, road and footpath with white paint.

Police attended after the incident, but residents said the man had left before officers arrived.

A concerned resident said: "The anxiety this has caused to everyone else living here, most of whom are retired, has been enormous.

"We feel the problems have steadily increased over recent months. There has been noise, swearing, and drugs.”

The resident said neighbours had raised concerns with Magna Housing and had sought the help of Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour.

"We feel Magna are more concerned about their tenant, and just pass our complaints to other agencies. It’s disgusting.”

Magna said: “"We recognise that anti-social behaviour can have a distressing impact on local communities and we take all reports of ASB seriously. We work closely with our customers

and partner agencies, including the police, to address concerns raised with us. As there is ongoing involvement from relevant agencies, we are unable to comment on individual cases.”

Avon and Somerset Police have been asked to confirm details of the incident, and Rachel Gilmour MP has been contacted for comment.