‘Real-life BFG’ is stalking housing estate and super-glueing doors shut during the witching hour
Spooky spate of crime has left residents stuck in a bind
A REAL-life "BFG" has SUPER-GLUED at least 70 doors shut on a housing estate as part of a "vendetta" against the housing association.
Around 45 flats and 25 garages in Heywood, Greater Manchester, had their locks glued over the last month, with the suspected "revenge attacks" leaving residents trapped inside and others locked out.
Numerous residents claim to have seen a "tall, looming figure" skulking about between 1am and 6am when the attacks on the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing flats occurred.
At least two sightings were at 3am – the "witching hour" in Steven Spielberg's recent adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's classic of "The BFG" – and doors were found to have been glued the next morning.
Resident Gill Guler, 53, claimed the incident was first spotted around a month ago but the most severe spate occurred over the last few days.
Gill, a support worker, said: "We had received a letter [from the housing association] saying that houses were being targeted and we should be vigilant.
"Just after reading it, me and my husband were about to go out shopping and he said he couldn't lock the door.
"I told him 'use the right key!' but he said he was. We looked at the door and realised someone had super-glued the lock. It meant we couldn't lock the door so we couldn't go out.
"Others have been locked in their homes and have had to miss work. My neighbour came home from holiday late at night and was locked out of her house as it had happened again.
"My husband, Mustafa, said he saw a very big guy with a dark coat on going around in the back but at the time hadn't thought anything of it. The next day we found doors super-glued.
"He couldn't remember what the man looked like as he was in the shadows but he was tall and it was very odd.
"We believe he is coming around to the flats and doing this and lots of people have reported the same description of this person they have spotted in the dark around the same time.
"A friend of mine saw this tall figure at 3am on Saturday morning and then the next morning [the housing association] were out fixing some locks again.
"People are saying that perhaps the housing association or council did something to upset this person and they are getting back their revenge. People move in strange ways."
Another resident, who wishes not to be named, had spotted the night prowler too.
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He said: "I think I have seen who it is. I looked out and saw a tall figure looming outside the flats but they were in the darkness.
"They were very tall, definitely more than 6ft. The next day people were saying their doors had been glued so it must have been him.
"I have no idea how they are getting in as there are security gates. They could be scaling a fence. We just don't know."
A spokesman for Rochdale Boroughwide Housing said it was not aware of any motive but would encourage anyone who has information to contact the police.
Gill said: "[The housing association] were really good and sent someone out to fix them all very quickly. It was very good considering the scale of the situation and the number of doors.
"However there was a constant stream of them. It seemed that as quick as they could fix one then there were reports coming in of another one being reported glued.
"It's a major inconvenience for everyone. People were calling their work to say they couldn't go in.
"It must have been really expensive to replace all of those locks, it's terrible."
The housing association spokesman added: "Over the last month, around 45 flats and 25 garages in central Heywood have had their locks glued between the hours of 1am and 6am.
"This is causing distress and great inconvenience to residents as well as considerable expense to RBH. "We are working closely with the local police to identify those responsible and we have delivered letters to residents.
"We would ask residents to be vigilant and to pass on any information they feel is relevant to the local police and to the RBH enforcement team."
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