An aggrieved man has criticised his police force for not responding to his concerns about drug use and anti-social behaviour where he lives.

The complainant, who we are not naming for his own safety, is elderly and lives at an address in Whippendell Road, Watford. He has described officers in Watford as a “waste of time”.

He says he has made numerous complaints and although the force has written to him, they have never visited him and no action has been taken.

The man says he has had to fork out more than £1,000 to fix a lock on a door which has been damaged by people who turn up outside his property and also believed the area in which he lives is a hotspot for drug dealing.

He said: “The police are useless – a waste of time. When I report, they don’t come to take fingerprints or anything like that. What is happening has caused my family distress. Someone could come and see us but they haven’t.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary says it will send an officer round to the man and has reassured neighbours in the town it is doing all it can to fight drug crime.

Watford Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant Matt Langley said: “The supply and use of drugs can blight communities and families and I want to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to drive drug-related crime out of Watford.

“Just last month, we received a report of suspected drug activity in the Whippendell Road area and officers immediately attended the scene.

“However following a search of the area it was established that the persons of interest had left the location.

“Police community support officers regularly include Whippendell Road on their patrol route, and I will be tasking one of the team to speak with the concerned resident in this case to see if there is anything more that we can do to ensure they feel safe in their own home.

“Any information you provide, no matter how small, might be the missing piece of the jigsaw we need to apprehend an offender.”

Anyone with any information can report it online at https://www.herts.police.uk/Report or call 101. If you suspect a crime is in progress, always call 999.