A COMMUNITY is today in tatters after residents were forced to get rid of a much loved social area.

A COMMUNITY is today in tatters after residents were forced to get rid of a much loved social area.

Those living at Horseman Court in Martlesham formed a tenants association to boost neighbourhood spirit and created an area where residents could meet for tea and coffee.

Since then they have enjoyed many occasions together in the area, which was set up in front of their flats, and it had become a place for social gatherings.

However now the housing association, Sanctuary Hereward Housing, has said all the chairs and tables in the area must be removed for health and safety reasons, leaving residents bewildered.

Dave Mison, chairman of the tenants association, said: “As everyone's flat is too small, we like to meet outside. There is nowhere else to sit and chat with each other. We all feel it would be sad to lose our sense of community.”

Two years ago another community was torn apart after smokers at a sheltered housing complex in Felixstowe were banned from the communal area. Despite intense campaigning, no exceptions to the law were made and today residents claim that “everything has been ruined”.