Shipping containers being used to house the homeless are at risk of being torn down, as neighbours and residents describe the site as a 'complete hellhole'.
The 'pod'-based accommodation – built out of colourful shipping containers – drew national headlines when it was first built in 2021.
But despite originally being described as a 'dream for all homeless people', the site has suffered major problems over the past five years.
Residents of the pods and those living in the area have made numerous complaints and say drug use is rife.
Locals have even claimed some of the homeless residents have threatened to stab them. Some living in the pods also said they would rather be back on the streets.
People living in nearby homes, which are valued at up to £500,000, have lodged complaints over these issues.
One resident, who declined to provide his name, told the Daily Mail that things had become so bad that he was planning on moving out.
A shipping container compound has been used to house the homeless in Reading since 2021
The 'pod'-based accommodation to house the local homeless community drew national headlines when it was first built
The council showed off the new pod project in a series of publicity shots when it opened
But five years on from the accommodation opening in Reading, the reality looks quite different
'It's a s***hole now. It's just full of junkies. I'd rather move back out on to the streets, if I'm being honest.'
Outside the pedestrian entrance to the compound, 'HMP Pod' is scratched into one of the panels on the wooden fence.
People in the accommodation are supported by Reading Borough Council and the homelessness charities Launchpad and St Mungos.
The containers were built through temporary planning permission that lasted five years, with the council's housing department wishing to extend it by 18 months.
Nearby, people living in the block of flats next door have described the nightmarish problems caused by the accommodation.
Milan Patel says he worries children of residents may be put at risk from the anti-social behaviour by those in the shelter.
'Sometimes their gate isn't open, so they come around into our garden and climb over the wall. It's risky because we often have children playing out here and parents might not be able to keep an eye on them all the time.
'We also hear them at night. Sometimes they'll be up at 2.30am, 3am shouting at each other. It's not something that usually disturbs my sleep, but in the summer we have to open windows to let air through. So it's just unavoidable.'
Neighbours and residents have described the area as a 'complete hellhole' due to anti-social behaviour that takes place there
Mounds of rubbish could be seen in the area surrounding the shipping containers in Reading
Old blankets, clothes and empty bottles were found dumped among the piles of rubbish
But the residents are now fighting a proposal to extend planning permission for the container complex.
One resident – Alex Audland, who also helps manage one of the adjacent apartment blocks – listed his concerns in an objection to the planning application.
He said: 'Since the pods became operational, residents of our building have experienced repeated trespass onto our private property and attempts by individuals associated with or visiting the site to gain access to the building.
'I have personally witnessed and experienced incidents involving unauthorised access to the property.
'There have been occasions where individuals have forced their way into the building and subsequently refused to leave.
'Individuals have slept within the internal communal hallways. I hold photographic evidence of such incidents and can provide this to the council if required.'
He added: 'Residents have experienced persistent security problems during the period in which the pods have operated, including the theft of numerous parcels from the residential building.'
Another local said: 'It's a total hellhole. It needs knocking down. I don't know how they can consider extending it. It was a terrible idea.'
Auld, a member of the company that manages the block of flats, also claimed drug use in the area was open, and neighbouring residents had been victims of threatening and intimidating behaviour.
In his objection, he said: 'I have personally witnessed open drug use in and around the immediate vicinity of our property.
'Other residents have also raised similar incidents with me, together with concerns regarding discarded drug-related paraphernalia.'
When asked to leave the area, those trespassing would often become agitated, Auld also claimed.
Locals have complained about the impact of the anti-social behaviour and have asked the council to not extend the temporary planning permission
One resident of the 'pods' called the place 'a s***hole' and said it was 'just full of junkies', even adding that they would 'rather move back out on to the streets'
One local said they 'have personally witnessed open drug use in and around the immediate vicinity of our property'
'This has included serious verbal threats, including threats involving stabbing.
'I have personally experienced threatening or intimidating conduct associated with individuals trespassing on or around the property.
'My partner has also personally experienced repeated incidents which have caused her to fear for her safety.
'She has been followed and screamed at in the vicinity of our home, and these experiences, taken together with the wider pattern of threatening and unpredictable behaviour around the property, have had a profound and lasting effect on her.'
He concluded that his statement was 'an important illustration of the effect the current use has had on our ordinary daily lives'.
'Residents should be able to enter and leave their homes without fear, and a short walk from a major transport hub to one's own front door should not require another household member to act as an escort because of repeated experiences of intimidation,' Auld said.
Reading Borough Council, and charities Launchpad and St Mungos were approached for comment.