Let me tell you a story of a woman, taunted and ridiculed as a figure of fun.

A woman too scared to venture out alone day or night. A woman who is disabled, an easy target. A woman who closes the curtains of whichever room she is in to shut out the faces and the shouted jibes. A woman who has to surround herself with CCTV purely for piece of mind.

This is the story of a council tenant living next door to a privately-rented residence. So where is this area of grim living? The back streets of London? A rough area in Brighton? No, this woman lives in an area the agent who lets the abode next door describes as up-and-coming.

It doesn't feel like an up-and-coming or a developing town for this woman. It feels like gang warfare. To get through 24 hours without incident or tears is an achievement.

So who can this woman turn to?

She is a council tenant. After admitting it does indeed have a duty of care towards its tenants, the local council agreed to send out a complaints diary.

After a week, no diary had been received so the council were gently reminded and it duly arrived the following week. That is as far as the council is prepared to go.

On to the letting agent - the one who believes we live in a town with so much to offer. He tells her "not to worry" and promises to speak to the neighbours. This leads to them intimidating her further.

So, what about her family? She has one relative close by, a daughter who feels unable to do anything for fear of reprisals against her mother or indeed her own family.

So, on to the police. I'm sure you will be as pleased as I was to find our council tax pays for a crime reference number, sympathy and little else.

They have been called on several occasions and each time have given out a magic number and a promise to visit this woman at home but these promises dissolve into nothing.

Further up the scale we go to our local MP. A visit to his consultation practice and the woman is given advice to fill in her diary and report all incidents to the police (see above).

The woman, in desperation, turns to her doctor. She's tired, desperate for rest and crying for help but all the doctor can offer is medication.

Finally, she installs CCTV and the effect is immediate. Her neighbours threaten her with the police over the invasion of privacy. Privacy they would not have lost if they had left her alone.

In two years, a woman who was a vibrant livewire and social butterfly has been reduced to a solitary figure lurking inside her own home. Where should she turn next? Why doesn't anyone care? Why will no one take responsibility for these tenants?

If something was to happen to her, who would hold their hands up and apologise?

-Name and address supplied