Anti-social behaviour

West Lancashire Borough Council believes everyone has the right to enjoy their home and live safely and peacefully. We are committed to working with communities and partner agencies such as the Police and Fire service to tackle and prevent Anti-Social Behaviour and neighbour nuisance.

If you are not a Council Tenant and your report does not involve a Council tenant then you must report anti-social behaviour directly to the Police via 101 or Lancashire Talking via the enclosed link: 

https://www.lancashire.police.uk/lancashire-talking/

This will enable the Police to be aware of any immediate concerns, record the level of nuisance and deploy resources in response to ASB.

  • Please note if you think your safety or others are at immediate risk you should contact the Police immediately on 999.

 

Process for reports involving Council Tenants

What happens if I report anti-social behaviour?

Our anti-social behaviour officers will contact you to discuss the report. We will ask you questions about the incident and the events leading up to it, to identify any actions that need to be taken and we will complete a risk assessment with you to determine the level of support you need.  An officer will aim to contact you within:

Urgent cases we will respond within 1 working day.

  • Hate crimes or hate incidents.
  • Domestic abuse
  • Verbal abuse/Intimidation/harassment/threats of violence

Non-urgent cases we will respond within 5 working days.

  • Vandalism and damage to property
  • Drug related activity
  • Alcohol related instances
  • Noise nuisance (some noise nuisance may not meet the statutory threshold, but may still be a breach of tenancy and/or be an annoyance (a lower threshold).
  • Neighbour Disputes
  • Nuisance that could cause nuisance or annoyance.

We aim to resolve cases quickly and efficiently but anti-social behaviour can be a complex and lengthy process and so it can be difficult to give timescales.

Examples of what is and isn't Anti-Social Behaviour 

 What we class as Anti-Social Behaviour

  • Verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, or threatening behaviour
  • Hate crimes/Hate incidents.
  • Vandalism and damage to property
  • Alcohol related instance
  • Domestic abuse
  • Noise nuisance (some noise nuisance may not meet the statutory threshold, but may still be a breach of tenancy and/or be an annoyance (a lower threshold).
  • Neighbour Disputes
  • Drug activity
  • Nuisance that could cause nuisance or annoyance.

Noise complaints

For more information on noise issues, or to make a complaint about noise, visit the noise complaints page.

What we DON'T class as Anti-Social Behaviour

  • Household noise due to everyday living (such as babies crying, doors slamming, toilets flushing or vacuuming)
  • Children playing
  • One-off parties, barbecues, or celebrations at reasonable times.
  • Cooking smells
  • DIY in reasonable hours
  • Someone parked unlawfully.
  • Minor personal differences such as dirty looks or fall outs between children.
  • Normal behaviour occurring at unusual times because of different working patterns provided the resident is attempting to keep disturbance to a minimum.

Have you discussed the problem with your neighbour?

With all neighbour nuisance complaints, we will ask if you have discussed the problem with your neighbour first. Very often, making your neighbour aware of your concerns, in a reasonable manner can resolve problems quickly. It is important to remember once a complaint is made and an investigation begins, a problem may get worse before it gets better.

How to report an incident

You can report anti-social behaviour by:

Calling Customer Services on 01695 577177

Email - ASB@westlancs.gov.uk

Download Anti-Social Behaviour Policy (PDF 475KB)

Please note if you think your safety or others are at immediate risk you should contact the Police on 999