Court order bans anti-social resident from their own home in Bury St Edmunds

18 Mar 2022

A Bury St Edmunds resident has been banned from their own home for at least three months after work to tackle antisocial behaviour.

West Suffolk Council successfully applied for the Closure Order for a property on Prospect Row, Bury St Edmunds, following partnership work with Suffolk Police and Havebury Housing Partnership.

It follows complaints about persistent anti-social behaviour at the address.

The order, granted to the Council by Ipswich Magistrates Court under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, bans the occupier from living at the address and anyone else from being there other than Havebury Housing Partnership and other agencies that may be deemed as requiring legitimate access. While the order, granted by the court on Wednesday 16 March, is in place for initially for three months, it can be extended.

A spokesperson for West Suffolk Council said: “While we won’t comment on the specifics of this case, anti-social behaviour such as persistently shouting, swearing and drink or drug fuelled behaviours, can all have a damaging impact to the health and wellbeing of those people living and working close by. Court orders are always the last resort and the organisations involved will always try to work with all parties to try to resolve the situation more amicably. But where all else fails, we and our partners, are prepared to take the necessary action to force a stop to these behaviours that have been plaguing the lives of local residents.”

Havebury’s assistant director of customer service, Amy St Ledger said: “The health and wellbeing of our tenants is a priority to us. We work hard to tackle anti-social behaviour and have worked closely with West Suffolk Council and the police to resolve the issues that were raised.”

Inspector John Murray from Bury St Edmunds Safer Neighbourhood Team said: "We strive to make our areas a safer place for the local communities. In securing this order we hope this will improve the quality of life for residents and that it sends the message that this type of activity will not be tolerated and that we will take action.”

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