VANDALS have attacked an empty housing complex, leaving it with smashed windows, fire damage and graffiti.

The Strete Mount housing complex in Somerford has been uninhabited since residents moved out last year.

Housing association Sovereign says it plans to submit proposals for 44 new homes on the site following consultation with residents earlier this year.

But damage to the site has left officials forced to board up buildings, with local police officers also issuing a warning.

A spokesperson for Sovereign said: “Despite the presence of security patrols, we have become aware of some vandalism and low-level anti-social behaviour at Strete Mount. As a result we are in the process of boarding up the empty homes to deter vandals, make the site more secure and minimise disruption to local residents.”

They added: “We are currently incorporating feedback we have received from the local community into our plans, which we hope to submit for planning with the local authority towards the end of May.”

On the Grange Safer Neighbourhood Team’s Facebook page, officers said: “Strete Mount is currently being broken into by youths who are then causing small fires, breaking windows and spraying graffiti.

“Our main concern is someone will be seriously injured soon if this continues.” We are working in partnership with Sovereign to make the site as secure as possible, with it now also having site security.”

Earlier this month, Dorset Fire and Rescue held a sprinkler demonstration, setting fire to two houses to show how efficient the systems are.

Sovereign is proposing 31 homes for affordable rent and 13 for shared ownership on the old Strete Mount site.

And in a bid to meet a variety of housing needs among the local population, the homes are expected to range from one-bedroom maisonettes to three-bedroom houses.

Strete Mount is the third site that Sovereign is developing.

As part of a raft of redevelopment in the Somerford area, Sovereign was due to begin demolition of the old community centre on Southey and Amethyst Roads.

Affordable homes will be built on the site, with a new community centre, the Somerford Alliance Resource Centre, opened in June 2014.