Council sent girl, 4, letter for ‘anti-social behaviour’

A little four-year-old girl in Birmingham got a letter from the council over complaints about her ‘loud shouting, banging and visitors’.

Birmingham City Council warned Ariana Edwards she could face ‘further investigation’ if more people complained.

The authority has now apologised and admitted the letter should have been sent to the child’s mum Bella Rodriguez.

It read: ‘Dear Miss Edwards, I write as I have received an allegation of anti-social behaviour from your address.

‘The allegation is: loud shouting, loud banging, loud visitors.

‘While this is only an allegation, I feel it is important to bring the matter to your attention.

‘If I receive any further complaints I will have to investigate further.

‘If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact me.’

Bella, a 24-year-old mum-of-two, laughed as she read the letter to her little one, who has eczema and occasionally cries at night.

She told Birmingham Live: ‘As I opened it, I thought it was strange that Ariana had a letter but I thought maybe it was from the GP.

‘But then I had to laugh as I read it, suggested my child is responsible for anti-social behaviour.

‘When she walks she is heavy footed, the way she walks she kind of stamps.

‘She has eczema on her arms and the back of her legs so sometimes she wakes up and starts crying and she’ll be scratching.

‘She’ll make noise because it’s itching her.’

Bella said there were previously complaints over her daughter’s crying as a newborn baby and council staff had visited twice to investigate the issue but she was out.

She said police called at her home the morning after she threw a gender reveal party in February for her younger daughter.

But Bella said she had been wrongly blamed in other complaints about reggae music being played.

A statement from Birmingham City Council said: ‘This was an error and the letter should have been addressed to the tenant of the property.

‘The complaint does not relate to the child in any way.

‘As the notification letter explains, it is guests to the home who are allegedly causing loud banging and shouting, often late at night.

‘An officer has visited the property to explain this to the tenant.’