SLEEPING soundly at their quiet suburban home – a family-of-four was awoken by a loud crash and the sound of a gang of men in their front garden.
With their young son screaming, they found themselves caught up in a terrifying “turf war” as they realised a brothel had moved into the flat upstairs.
You would think this street in Dagenham, East London, was like any other with a mix of houses and maisonettes.
But one family – who are too scared to be named – had their normal lives turned upside down when a brothel opened up in the flat above them.
Neighbours began to notice up to 30 men a day were coming and going from the £200,000 upstairs flat on the edge of London and Essex.
It was the ultimate nightmare neighbours from hell scenario for the family.
Over the space of a month, their normal, hard-working lives were turned upside down as their home became besieged.
The family say police told them they were locked in a turf war between two rival brothels.
With men believed to be brothel patrons along with prostitutes were constantly going back and forth down the shared property’s garden path, it was already hell for the family.
But then things took a turn when the apparent rival gang began to wage war on the brothel – and their home.
The property was attacked three times – on September 29, October 9 and October 18.
The mum of the family told The Sun of her terror as men smashed her windows in the middle of the night, leaving a hammer embedded in her front door.
Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment four masked men attacked the home in Dagenham, shattering the windows and coating the house with red paint.
It was the third time the group had vandalised the property in a matter of weeks.
The criminals also spray-painted the words ‘Brothel’ on nearby homes, with arrows pointing towards the family’s house.
The mum-of-two, who was too scared to be named, told The Sun: “I woke up when I heard a loud bang. It was so scary. I shouted ‘help’ and ‘what’s going on’.
“My youngest son, 6, started to cry and my other son, who was sleeping next to the window when it was smashed, shouted ‘what are you doing, we are living here’.
“We got attacked three times. One time they came and threw black oil over the house.
“The second time it was red paint. And the third time they smashed our windows. It’s not normal.
“They closed the brothel after the third attack. But it’s still horrible to look at as the paint is still there. We are still waiting for the council to come and paint the outside.”
The family’s oldest son, 21, was sleeping next to the window which was shattered with a hammer.
The mum said her property has become like a zoo as passersby stop to stare at the house and take pictures – with some even asking her if the brothel operated in her ground floor flat.
Another resident, whose neighbouring home was also daubed with red paint and oil, said that up to 30 men visited the brothel every day when it was operating.
The dad-of-two said: “It was all day and all night – 24/7.
“I saw some of the girls in the house, I think they were Chinese.
“They looked between 25 and 50, although there was one girl who looked very young.
“I think the men who attacked the home were also Chinese.
“When I asked the police about it they said they knew there were other brothels nearby and they were fighting each other.
“It’s a brothel turf war.”
The resident, who works as a bus driver, believed the rival gang vandalised nearby properties to spark local complaints – and force the authorities to shut down the brothel.
He told The Sun he wasted £1,000 on repainting his house after the first incident on September 29 as the gang simply threw more paint on his home on October 9.
The dad added that the “nightmare” finally came to an end after the window-smashing attack on October 18.
He said the suspected sex workers were then spotted leaving the house with their bags – and Barking and Dagenham Council secured a closure order shortly thereafter.
Another resident, Salim Hamed, said his family has also been affected by the attack.
He told The Sun how his two sons – aged 11 and seven – asked him what a brothel was after spotting the graffiti on a nearby home.
The 35-year-old said: “My kids saw the word ‘Brothel’ painted on the house and asked me what it meant.
“It upset me when they asked me that. I just told them it was a gang thing and changed the topic.
“The people who did it even sprayed paint on our flat. The council came and sprayed some water on it and tried to remove it but you can still see it.
“It’s been over two months now and the council still haven’t cleaned it up. Every time we see it, it feels like the council don’t care.”
Other locals complained that the property housing the now-closed brothel had become an “eyesore”.
One said: “When I came back and saw it vandalised for the first time I thought it was something for Halloween.
“It’s only added to all the crap that’s going on here.”
The property was then placed subject to a council and police closure order which prohibits anyone from entering the property until January 29, 2026.
Councillor Syed Ghani, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, told The Barking & Dagenham Post: “This closure sends a clear message that we will not tolerate properties being used for criminal activities.
“The repeated criminal damage incidents caused significant distress to residents, and we acted swiftly with the police to put a stop to it.
“We urge landlords to take their responsibilities seriously and carry out proper checks when letting properties, especially on short-term agreements.”
In a statement, Barking & Dagenham Council said: “We can confirm that works to the flat in question along with the other properties and the pathway affected by the vandalism started this week.
“We’re expecting an update from the contractor imminently to advise when the work will be completed.”
In a statement, the Met Police said: “On Thursday, October 30, at 2pm, police supported Barking and Dagenham Council in serving a closure order at a property [in] Dagenham, following reports that it was being used as a brothel.
“Officers previously visited the address on Thursday, 9 October at 06:33hrs after receiving a report of criminal damage.
“Police made enquiries and arrested a 28-year-old for immigration offences.
“He was bailed pending further investigation.
“Enquiries into the criminal damage continue.”
