A fundraising drive organised by Darlington residents to help a man being abused in his home by a group of teenagers has reached £1,000.

Cristian Gombosanu, 38, had spent months enduring a daily barrage of rocks and bricks thrown at this home.

When people living around him discovered the extent of the abuse they rallied round to help him repair his house.

A fundraiser was set up by Vicki Heitman to help him fix all of the smashed windows in his property.

She set a goal of £1,000 but she never expected to see that target reached.

Ms Heitman said: "I am so surprised. It's amazing what we have achieved.

"We are just waiting for it to clear and then we will get to work on the windows. We are just overjoyed. The support has been incredible.

"There have been more attacks - they tried to destroy the new fence that we put up. 

"I got frustrated with the police for not keeping up with their end of the bargain but then I had a chat with our PCSO and she's going to make sure there are more patrols in the area.

"There is a camera in the car park now which should easily tip off the police if anything is happening."

She added: "On Saturday (February 3) me and my family came back from a meal and chased them off when we saw them heading to his house.

"Cristian is so grateful for the help. Our MP, Peter Gibson, has been down to help."

Mr Gombosanu said that he was "very happy" with the support he was receiving from the community.

A Durham Police spokesperson said: "Officers are continuing to work with residents and local schools over concerns raised around anti-social behaviour on Roberts Walk in Darlington.

“The local neighbourhood team have increased patrols in the area and issued safer streets equipment to residents.

“Our partners at Darlington Borough Council have also put practical measures in place, including a CCTV camera, which will help us in identifying the offenders.

“Residents are encouraged to continue to report incidents via 101 or 999 in an emergency.”

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Residents in the community have already built a new fence for Mr Gombosanu and they hope to fix his windows with the money from the fundraiser.

The Northern Echo: Residents helping Cristian Gombosanu

Mr Gibson, the Conservative MP for Darlington, said: "My team and I have continued to engage with Cristian providing a range of support to him and facilitating contact with multiple agencies.

"I am concerned to hear reports of continuing targeted anti-social behaviour and I would encourage everyone to report every incident to the police and if people are concerned about anonymity they should call crime stoppers 0800 555 111."