Court orders issued to tackle criminal behaviour

Court orders issued to tackle criminal behaviour

Properties across Wigan Borough have been issued with court orders as part of an ongoing crackdown on anti-social and criminal behaviour.

Applications for enforcement action, led by Wigan Council, for properties in Leigh, Orrell and Wigan were approved by magistrates in March.

Frequent incidents were having a negative impact on their neighbourhoods and the closure orders include conditions that will help authorities prevent repeat offences.

This can mean restrictions placed on who can enter the property and may lead to the council applying for possession, which sees the tenant evicted.  

Closure orders were granted for properties at the following addresses:

• Chatham Street, Leigh (extension of partial closure order)
• Arthur Street, Leigh (partial closure order)
• Siddow Common, Leigh (extension of full closure order)
• Cecil Street, Leigh (partial closure order)
• Greenhey, Orrell (partial closure order)
• Belvedere Place, Wigan (extension of partial closure order)
• Linney Square, Wigan (full closure order).

Councillor Dane Anderton, cabinet portfolio holder for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “We continue to take a pro-active and consistent approach regarding tenants whose properties become the location of persistent criminal and anti-social behaviour.

“We are committed to taking such action in the appropriate circumstances to show that we will not tolerate behaviour that impacts negatively on our communities.

“As ever, I would like to highlight the work of our community resilience teams and legal officers and hope these steps provide reassurance to the vast majority of our residents who value and champion their local communities.”

The Chatham Street address saw a three-month extension of a partial closure order approved, restricting access to just the tenant, support and emergency service staff. This extension was applied for on the grounds of frequent ASB and criminal incidents. Numerous breaches of the previous order were highlighted in court by the council and Greater Manchester Police.

The Arthur Street address was in relation to frequent incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminality, including visitors attending the address at unsocial hours. Magistrates approved the application for a three-month partial closure order.

The Siddow Common address saw an extension of a full closure order, which restricted access to the property to only the tenant, council workers and the emergency services. This was due to frequent drug-related activity and criminal behaviour. Where a full closure order is granted, the tenant and any occupiers must leave the property for the term of the order.

The Cecil Street property had a partial closure order approved, due to criminal activity and visitors attending at unsociable hours.

At Greenhey, the three-month partial closure order due to ASB, a high volume of visitors at unsociable hours, drug use and criminal behaviour, also places strict restrictions on who can enter the property, permitting only the tenant, council staff and the emergency services.

At Belvedere Place, a three-month extension to a partial closure order was granted. The previous order had curbed outbreaks of antisocial behaviour with the extension tabled to provide extra reassurance to the local community and to support the tenant, placing strict restrictions on who can enter the property.

For the Linney Square property, a previous partial closure order was discharged in place of a full closure order on the basis of ASB, drug activity and offensive weapons being found. The new order was granted for a further three months, enforcing stricter restrictions and preventing anyone, including the tenant, from being in the property during this period. Wigan Council will now be pursuing a separate possession claim.