POLICE are called to Southend's notorious tower blocks five times a week, the Echo can reveal.

Figures from a Freedom of Information request show that Essex Police attended Malvern, Pennine, Chiltern, and Quantock a total of 1,417 times over the past five years.

In 2011, when tenant Christopher Ryan, 45, was murdered in his flat, officers were called to the 13-storey towers nearly every day- a total of 358 times throughout the year.

The Echo told earlier this month Southend Council is set to demolish the four blocks as part of a huge regeneration of the estate.

Senior councillors and residents admit there has historically been a drugs problem at the estate, but since of 2011 CCTV cameras have been installed and security guards drafted in to patrol the area.

The measures appear to have driven down crime.

In 2015, police were called to the tower blocks 151 times.

Labour’s Ian Gilbert, deputy leader of the council and ward councillor for Victoria, said: “It only takes one person to cause trouble and it affects a lot of people.

“Four years ago when there was a murder there was quite a lot of anger but since then a lot of effort has been put in by the council, the police and South Essex Homes.

“There are drug issues there, but it is one area in amongst several in Southend.”

Following a campaign from the Echo to sort out the troubled estate, security guards were brought in to patrol the tower blocks from 5pm to 1am.

Our Echo highlighted drug users and squatters blighting the blocks.

We also showed how easy it was for non=residents to gain access, leading to CCTV cameras being installed.

Mike Smith, who lives in the Malvern flats, said: “I know there has been problems at the blocks, but they tend to be isolated to certain individuals, like in all areas of the town.

“There was a murder here in 2011, but there has been a murder in St Anne’s Road and Napier Avenue recently. These things happen unfortunately and you can’t just blame the people living here.

“I’ve noticed the problems have been decreasing. They have security guards patrolling the estate, and people know there is now an eye being kept on the problems.”

He also pointed out that a new youth group meeting every Friday had given younger residents on the estate more things to do.

Amongst the call-outs, there were 63 incidents of assault, one possession of a firearm, one murder, and two threats to kill.

John Barber, part of Coleman Street Chapel, just off the estate, added: “There have been incidents were drug baron people have got into the tower blocks and taken over vulnerable people’s flats, and the fact that there has been incidents does not surprise me, but the fact that things are improving does encourage me.

“There is a drug culture in Southend but it is not just in Queensway.”