People living in a Stockport suburb say they have been left 'terrified' after the windows of a terrace house were smashed overnight.

Last week, two properties in Heaton Norris just outside Stockport town centre were targeted with anti-HMO graffiti. The LDRS understands one of the properties was targeted again shortly after 3am on October 20, when windows smashed.

The vandalism and criminal damage follows similar incidents in Salford where suspected houses of multiple occupation, commonly referred to as HMOs, were targeted. A police investigation is ongoing.

Neither of the properties in Heaton Norris are currently used as HMOs, despite claims on social media. One is understood to be for sale while the owners of the property where the windows were smashed are asking Stockport council for permission to convert it into an eight bedroom HMO.

HMOs are properties where at least three tenants live there forming more than one household. They also share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with the other tenants.

They can provide a more affordable and flexible form of accommodation for young professionals and students but often raise concerns over parking, waste, who could live there, and other issues. HMOs have also become a national flash point as some of them have been used to house asylum seekers.

Outside the house vandalised on October 20, windows are boarded up due to concerns of follow-up attacks.

One of the property's owners, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "I think there's a lot of people who are misinformed and believe everything they see online. I think that is where it is coming from."

While he said he understood some concerns, he said he were planning to house young professionals there if Stockport council approves the planning application. He told the LDRS he had not been aware of the situation in Salford until their property was targeted.

His co-owner said: "It's not for asylum seekers. We are not planning to hand it over to the government. When people think about HMOs, they think about the bad sides of it.

"There's people who can't afford to live in a big property. They would just like to be in a room that is affordable."

People in the area told the LDRS they were concerned about the HMO application including the number of people potentially living in the property, limited parking, the potential impact on neighbours, and whether the house is even big enough for eight bedrooms.

Where there were general concerns about who might be moving in, rumours of asylum seekers were a key worry for some. One Heaton Norris resident said her concerns stemmed from what she had seen on social media.

However all condemned the vandalism of the property. One woman, who said she had real concerns about immigration, said: "It's wrong. I have been here for 40 years and I have never know anyone doing that."

Like many others in the area, Wayne Ryder is also concerned about the potential HMO and who could move in. However he slammed the vandalism as it 'is frightening the community'.

He told the LDRS: "It's not good. They are all elderly couples living either side of it. They are petrified, they are absolutely petrified. It's not the best scenario for anybody to be fair."

Describing the behaviour as stupid as it would not stop any HMO plans, he added: "That has been done by people in this community thinking it's a favour. Now it's an eyesore. They haven't done us any favours.

"It's frankly ridiculous. It's just people thinking they are doing good, thinking they are taking a stand but all they have done is scare the community and make it look like that."

Cllr James Frizzell, who represents the Heaton Norris area, condemned the vandalism as 'disgusting'. He said police were taking the matter seriously and would be stepping up patrols in the area.

The Reddish South councillor told the LDRS: "Everyone is very upset. Everyone is very concerned.

"We do not want this sort of thing in our ward. We do not want this sort of thing in Stockport."

Cllr Frizzell said: "I think it's madness, I really do. There's too much misinformation and disinformation online. People jumping to all the wrong conclusions without fact checking."

He added: "I think it's a disgrace. It needs to be clamped down on and catch the people doing it and face the consequences of their actions.

"It's making life horrible for people living in Salford and now it's coming to Stockport. It's frightening for residents and it's unacceptable behaviour."

Cllr Dan Oliver, Stockport Council's cabinet member for communities, culture and public protection, said the local authority was monitoring the situation in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and they were seeing broad concerns around HMOs across Stockport.

While they had not seen a situation like that seen in Salford, Cllr Oliver told the LDRS it is ongoing. Going forward, the local authority is also preparing to tighten control and oversight over new HMOs in the borough and has updated its information page on the subject.

He added: "It's having a serious impact that people are believing this stuff they are reading and people out there spreading some false and misleading information that is having an impact."

In a statement, Cllr Oliver said: "There is no place in Stockport for vandalism, intimidation, the deliberate spread of false or misleading information, or hate.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and we recognise how distressing incidents like these can be for residents, their families and the wider community. Whatever people's views on housing or local issues, criminal damage and threats are never acceptable.

"These two reported incidents are the actions of a small minority and not a reflection of our communities or what Stockport stands for. We are a welcoming borough and we stand with residents affected by these incidents while the police investigate.

"We have updated our online webpages on understanding HMOs and encourage residents to report harmful online content, and for anyone with information to report it directly to the police."

Greater Manchester Police were approached for comment.