Inside the 'prison town' in the shadow of THREE notorious jails where locals hear screams and see inmates in Domino's | The Sun
RESIDENTS living in the shadow of THREE notorious UK prisons say they hear screams every night and fear a mass breakout.
HMP Belmarsh houses killer cop Wayne Couzens, Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi and Lee Rigby machete terrorist Michael Adebolajo.
The Category A slammer shares a vast 411,000sq metre plot with Cat B HMP Thameside and Young Offenders Institute HMP ISIS on the southern banks of the Thames estuary.
Many living in the Thamesmead area, SE London, have connections to the three lock ups – with dozens of current and former prison staff living in houses outside the perimeter fence.
While residents are more than used to the prisons, some say they are left terrified by the inmates who they can hear screaming at night.
Those living along Goldfinch Road have only the prison wall and the Western Way road as a barrier from Belmarsh and Thameside – who count taxi rapist John Worboys and previously Charles Bronson as inmates.
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One mum-of-four on the road told The Sun: "I come out at night time and have a cigarette. You can just hear everything.
"You hear them banging on the cells, you hear them screaming, hollering, you hear the whole shebang.
"If you’re not used to all the noises it’s scary. They’re so close it’s mad."
She added that when riots kick off inside HMP Thamesmead, which overlooks her home, she hears emergency services racing to the prison.
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Further down the road was Loni who was staying with his partner who has two kids.
He that while he is not bothered by the presence of some of Britain's most dangerous men, his partner is terrified.
'SCREAMING'
He revealed: "This is a housing association house so when my partner was put here in 2014 she had no idea about the prisons.
"You can hear them at night, she says she recognises the individual voices now.
"It starts around 7pm and can go on until past midnight, the kids hear it and ask her who the people are.
"She is always telling me 'it looks like they're going to break out' but the fence is too big."
Meanwhile another resident of 10 years on the road said he is not that bothered but said he can hear the inmates as well.
The Lithuanian, who did not want to be named, said: "It can go on until one or two in the morning."
While Jill Redpath blasted the construction of Belmarsh, which opened in 1991, and Thameside, in 2021, accusing the prisons of sending house prices soaring.
She told The Sun: "I'm angry. I have been here 37 years, before the prison was built.
"Done us no favours the prisons. House prices have soared."
But not all residents were as critical.
There are some very infamous people over there but I have faith in them keeping them under lock and key I suppose
One Domino's worker told MyLondon some newly-released lags head to her chain to charge their phone once they're out, before hopping on a bus.
Mohammed Shahzan, 42, has lived in Thamesmead for ten years with his four kids.
The Addison Lee driver said; "There is tight security around here, they would never come out of Belmarsh.
"They've modernised the quarters there, they have Serco, it's so safe, we don't have an issue with our area."
Mohammed said life in the area was "more positive" than others claim it to be, saying his kids don't batter an eyelid and never have a bad word about their home.
"It makes me happy to live around here", he added.
Lynn Milton, 65, has lived in her house 13 years, agree.
The retired PA told The Sun: "There are some very infamous people over there but I have faith in them keeping them under lock and key I suppose.
"Every so often you hear a helicopter buzzing around and you think 'ah'. But nobody's got out as far as I know."
She praised the area – where the average two bed terrace sells for £340,000 – as "beautiful" with "wonderful" neighbours.
"I have not met anybody who has been burgled, or mugged or robbed of anything", she added.
One former prison officer told The Sun she would never leave the area, despite Belamrh, her former workplace, can be seen ffom her home.
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"What's the point in leaving? I love it here", she said.
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.
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