Closure orders for four Wigan borough properties used for taking drugs, drinking alcohol and anti-social behaviour

Police said the Siddow Common and Cecil Street area of Leigh has been subject to anti-social behaviour for some time, with properties being used to consume alcohol and recreational drugs.

This led to crimes being carried out, such as damage to properties, public order offences and assaults.

There were numerous people going to and from the properties at all hours, sometimes arriving in vehicles and off-road motorbikes.

Police even said some of the properties were the homes of elderly people, who were vulnerable and unable to control those coming and going.

So officers joined forces with staff from Wigan Council in a bid to tackle the problem.

PC Garry Kirkman, of Greater Manchester Police’s Leigh south division, said: “The common theme from residents in the area was the problem was being ignored. However a joint approach began early this year with the community resilience team and lettings from Wigan Council.

“This included obtaining statements from residents being affected by the behaviour, reviewing calls to the police, intelligence and reports made directly to the council.

“This work has secured four separate closure orders in the area, one being a full closure preventing any person from entering including the tenant.

“An individual on Cecil Street has been causing anti-social behaviour whilst under the influence of drugs and disrupting numerous neighbours.

“An anti-social behaviour injunction with the power of arrest was granted, preventing the individual from causing annoyance or nuisance to persons in the Siddow Common and Cecil Street area, playing loud music, using threatening words and behaviour and from communicating with their neighbours.

“This work has been ongoing since February 2023 and is still subject to partnership working to fix the long-standing issues.

“We are now working in partnership with the council and all properties on both Cecil Street and Siddow Common are sensitive lets. The decision of any new tenants is a joint decision by the police and council before any person is allowed to move into the area in order to prevent further problems.

“We will always take action and work with our partner agencies to ensure those who engage in anti-social or nuisance behaviour are dealt with robustly.”

Insp Sam Davies, from GMP’s Wigan division, added: “Whilst many view anti-social behaviour as a low level matter, it is important to recognise the serious, detrimental impact it can generate within our communities.

“Often it takes time to gather evidence and work with our partners to see positive results like this and hopefully this helps to reassures our residents that we are listening to their concerns and we are taking positive action to resolve them.

“We want the people we serve to feel safe and be free from criminal behaviour, nuisance and disorder in the areas they live and work. We also want those individuals who wish to engage in anti-social behaviour to understand it won’t be tolerated and we will not hesitate to take the necessary steps to deal with them robustly.”

It comes just days after a closure order was secured for a property in Atherton which had been the focus of “disorder and criminal activity”.