Many residents resent the council over the state that part of the street is in. Some residents are threatening a boycott of council tax until the situation is resolved. They claim the gutted houses are used as a "drug den". Barricaded only by temporary metal fencing, it is a great concern for residents with children who play amongst the derelict buildings. Only recently a second fire in the houses was extinguished after they were used by the homeless as a makeshift shelter.

Newport - and Maindee in particular - has a large working-class population and, as is shown by the case of Marlborough Road, they have been abandoned to their fate; disenfranchised and ignored. Their situation is specific, but by no means unique. There are communities in similar situations throughout the UK.

Areas like this that are left to deteriorate out of control start to reflect the attitudes of these communities, and through no fault of their own. As a result of "working-class" stereotypes, we expect these areas to be decrepit and so we choose to ignore them. Living in these environments provokes resentment and anger within communities to the point of residents lashing out.

The Marlborough Road fire and its aftermath have been out of the news since 2009, but problems on the street continue to progress and worsen.

This is "slow violence" as neglect.