Yishun resident builds 'wall' to keep out nuisance neighbour
Nuisance neighbour forces Yishun residents to resort to unconventional tactics
Residents at a Yishun HDB block said that they are at their wits' end after being harassed by a neighbour for over a year, with one family going so far as to build a 'wall' barbed with cacti for protection.
The metre-high wall on the common corridor, made from scrap materials and has a latched gate, has so far been effective, they said.
But the Nee Soon Town Council has asked them to remove it as it is a fire hazard.
A spokesman for the town council said it is engaging the residents involved and had suggested mediation and legal options to the affected neighbours.
The Lee family, who live in a four-room corner unit and were the ones who built the wall, said the barrier was a last resort for them after having had to deal with a difficult neighbour since December.
They come home nearly every day to find an oil-like substance reeking of urine splashed across their door and corridor.
Balls of toilet paper and used sanitary pads have also been found outside their flat and on their bicycle chained outside.
The culprit, they say, lives a floor below with her daughter.
IT consultant Edmund Lee, who lives with his sister and parents, said they first noticed the woman wearing sunglasses lurking in the corridor outside their flat last year.
They installed a CCTV camera outside their unit in February and video footage showed the woman dirtying their corridor in the early morning hours, said Mr Lee, 28.
In footage shown to The Straits Times timestamped over several days in March, the woman is seen splashing liquid from bottles and pails on the corridor outside the two corner units.
Madam Yeo Kim Hong, 65, who lives next to the Lees, said she built a makeshift barrier on the corridor leading to their flats using a chair and wooden plank earlier this year, but it did not deter the woman.
"The oil is very slippery," said Madam Yeo, a cashier.
Both Mr Lee and Madam Yeo said they have never spoken to the woman, who runs away when confronted.
Mr Lee's father, a 60-year-old delivery driver, replaced the barrier with the current one, which was initially lined with durian shells, but were removed later due to the smell.
Mr Lee said they will only remove the barrier when the woman is arrested.
No one came to the door when The Straits Times visited her flat over the last two days.
Neighbours on her floor said they have not been bothered by her beyond clanging sounds from her unit every morning.
Police confirmed that reports have been lodged and said investigations are ongoing, while the National Environment Agency said that it has requested interviews with the parties. - ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NG WEI KAI
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