SINGAPORE - Some residents of Block 55 in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 are concerned about their safety due to the antics of one of their neighbours, who had been spotted flinging burning items over the parapet and splashing what appears to be a corrosive liquid outside her home.

A housewife, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Straits Times on Saturday (Jan 6) that she has been hearing the woman shouting loudly every morning for the past two months.

She said the woman who lives on the 10th storey of the block will start yelling at around 7am and continues for about an hour before stopping.

The 40-year-old housewife, who has been living in a two-room flat on a lower floor for the past four years, said: "She appears to be shouting at no one in particular.

"I can't make out what she says. So I just assume that she's just mentally unsound and left it at that."

But she is now worried about her own safety after two police officers went to her flat on Friday.

"A policewoman asked me if I've had any problems with my neighbours, and I said no. She later showed me some pictures of the corridor outside the woman's flat and said that some neighbours had complained of her splashing things there.

"I took a look and was shocked. It looked as though somebody had splashed corrosive liquid there," she said.

Late that night, the housewife and her husband went up to the 10th storey.

She said: "The area outside the woman's flat was a mess. There was strong chemical smell in the air and we felt a stinging sensation in our eyes. We quickly left the area after that."

Another neighbour, who also declined to be named, said that he has seen the woman hurling burning items over the parapet.

With a shudder, he said: "I fear for my safety and that of the children living in this block."

ST went to the woman's flat on Saturday and noticed that the walls outside the unit are peeling, exposing bare bricks at certain spots. The metal pipes are corroded and the floor looks pitted.

A middle-aged man was spotted coming out of the woman's flat and he said that he lives in the unit with his wife.

When asked about the state of the paintwork outside the unit, he replied: "They didn't coat it properly, that's why."

The man, who refused to give his name, declined to answer further questions.

The housewife said her neighbours told her they had seen the woman throwing flaming items from her corridor down to the ground floor.

She is now worried that the woman might even start a fire - to the detriment of the other residents.

She said: "My neighbours told me that the woman is often left alone when her husband goes to work. I think somebody must be around at home to ensure that her behaviour is kept in check.

"I'm also afraid that she could start splashing the same substances outside our homes as well. I guess there is not much we can do for now, but to keep our windows and doors closed, just in case."