Court order granted to close Newbury property after "years of anti-social behaviour and drug use"
"It will provide local community with much-needed respite"
A COURT order has been granted to temporarily close a Newbury property following "years of anti-social behaviour" there.
The Closure Order is in place for a period of three months and prevents access to the property in St Johns Gardens by any persons other than the tenants or officers from Thames Valley Police, West Berkshire Council and Sovereign Housing.
This action was taken following years of anti-social behaviour, disorder and drug use connected with the property.
During this time local residents have been affected for long periods which has impacted on their own quality of life.
The Closure Order was issued by Reading Magistrates yesterday to protect both the tenants and neighbouring residents from continued activity and anti-social behaviour.
Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator for West Berkshire Police Area, PC Peter Duffy, said: “Thames Valley Police will continue to use these powers where applicable, whether that is a partial closure or a full house closure.
“We take such reports seriously and have used the relevant Anti-Social Behaviour legislation to provide this community with some much needed respite.”
Luke Bingham, Divisional Director Sovereign Housing, said: “We understand the harm and distress anti-social behaviour can cause and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.
"As well as investigating reports thoroughly, we’ll work with our residents, the police and the local authority in order to take strong action to tackle it.
“We’re pleased the Closure Order was granted by the court, and we’ll continue to work with our partners and our residents to make sure any anti-social behaviour in the area has come to an end.”
Marcus Franks, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Community Resilience & Partnerships said: “This is a good partnership result. We are pleased to see the legislation available to us being used to protect a vulnerable resident and to also reduce the impact that the activity and anti-social behaviour has had on the local residents.”
