A WOMAN who subjected a community to months of anti-social and nuisance behaviour, has been ordered to leave her house.

The council tenant and her family, who lived in the Gelligaer area of Caerphilly county borough, subjected members of the community to months of anti-social and nuisance behaviour - not only within the property itself but also frequently spilling out onto the street.

Following a period of unsuccessfully trying to work with the tenant to improve her behaviour, Caerphilly County Borough Council applied for a closure order on the property – which is a new power that the council can use under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The closure order, which is valid for three months and excludes the tenant and her family from entering the property, was granted by Newport Magistrates Court on 17th February 2015. Breach of the closure order is a criminal offence.

Cllr Gerald Jones, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing said, “Much support had been put in place to help the tenant and her family moderate their behaviour prior to this action being taken, but her behaviour was significant enough to be having a real impact upon the quality of life of residents in her community. We believe this to be one of the first, if not the first, times that a council as a landlord has made an application to the courts using this new power”.

“It is important to point out that this course of action is very much a last resort, but it was vital that we ensured that the community and the direct victims of this anti-social behaviour were protected”.

The application for the closure order was led by Caerphilly County Borough Council, with support from Gwent Police.

Cllr David Poole, the council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services added, “This is a great example of partnership working to protect a community from ongoing anti-social behaviour. Our residents should not have to live in a situation where their quality of life is being adversely affected by another, and we will continue to use any powers at our disposal to ensure that this remains the case”.

Bargoed Inspector, Ian Muirhead explains: “Caerphilly County Borough Council have taken action to close this property because of the prolonged and detrimental affect the occupants have had on the local community. As a result of their behaviour, the occupants have made life unbearable for local residents and this Closure Order sends out a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

“This is another example of how working in collaboration with partner agencies has a positive effect on crime and anti-social behaviour and we’d like to thank Caerphilly council for their quick response in tackling this issue.”

The tenant is currently also subject to a possession order application, which if successful will see the tenant permanently evicted from the property. The hearing for this application will take place in April this year.

To find out more about work being done in Caerphilly county borough communities to tackle anti-social and nuisance behaviour, please visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk