JEDDAH: Al-Bagdadiya neighborhood residents in Jeddah are living in a state of worry because of 20 abandoned houses, which serve as hideouts for criminals.

Residents said some houses are on the verge of collapse and have turned into shelters for criminals, especially since they have been abandoned for more than 10 years. They called on relevant authorities to remove them because of the danger they pose to the neighborhood.

Yousif Bawazir, a resident, said the features of the neighborhood have changed. "While earlier only well-to-do people used to live here because of the strategic location of the area, today sewage is mixed up with drinking water and poor lighting in inner streets is a source of worry because of seedy dealings.

Mohammad Hamid Al-Khubairi said that aside from criminals, the neighborhood is inhabited by mice, cats and insects because of the overflowing sewage water.

Khalid Mohammad said problems in the neighborhood are various, but the most obvious is abandoned homes, which pose great danger to residents. Bad smell emits from waste. Residents don’t feel safe and don’t allow their children to go out for fear of these areas. He said neighbors suffer from strange noises and movements which are made by people who visit these houses.

Mayor of Al-Baghdadiyah neighborhood Fawaz Salamah said the area used to house good people before the oil boom, but after that many people left and their houses turned into ghost houses. He said the municipality tried to contact the owners who left the area but their efforts haven’t succeeded so far.

Some of these houses have collapsed and the poor lighting heightened worry for residents because theft usually takes place under the cover of darkness. He said a number of relevant authorities have been contacted and the mayor's office is still waiting for their response.