We have obtained a court order to board up a Council house in Creswell where drug related activity and anti-social behaviour persisted.

The Closure Order, for Rogers Avenue, Creswell, was granted on 23 August 2023 from South Derbyshire Magistrates Court after the tenant and visitors subjected the local community to continuous anti-social behaviour (ASB) and distress.

Together with the Police, we became aware of a significant number of visitors frequenting the property, sometimes staying for extended periods, as well as the smell of cannabis emanating from the property, shouting and loud music.

In June 2023, there was a fire at the property and as Council and Police officers were dealing with the aftermath of the fire, evidence of drug use was observed. In August 2023, police arrested the tenant and a male living at the address having found a large quantity of suspected Class A and B drugs in the property and a third male, who was wanted by Nottinghamshire Police, was arrested.

The Court granted the order which prohibits all persons from being at the property and anyone found being there can be arrested and prosecuted.

Local councillor for Creswell, Councillor Duncan McGregor said, “This was a huge problem which was causing distress to residents – distress that no-one should have to put up with. We knew we had to act as fast as we could to stamp out the problem, so we had no hesitation in using the Closure Power legislation.”

Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Clive Moesby said, “It’s never nice for anyone to have to put up with anti-social behaviour day and night and the communities of this area have had to put up with more than their fair share. But they can now sleep easy at night and enjoy their homes, knowing that the problem has been sorted. This should also serve as a warning to others that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour and we will use whatever powers and action are appropriate and available to us.”

The Closure Order is for three-months and we can also apply for an extension of up to six-months before expiry of the original term.