Alleyway prone to drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping now permanently gated off

The public highway between Dunster Street and St Michael’s Road in Northampton was gated last week.

The hotspot area has been gated 24 hours a day, seven days a week to protect people from anti-social behaviour by deterring littering, fly-tipping and street drinking make it more difficult for offenders to evade the police.

The results of a consultation in September 2020 showed that around 83% of the respondents indicated that they were in favour of gating the alleyway and 42% of respondents indicated that they had experienced or witnessed anti-social behaviour taking place in the alleyway on a regular basis.

A Northampton Borough Council spokesperson said: “This alley has been brought to the attention of the Neighbourhood Policing team repeatedly as a hotspot for anti-social behaviour including drug dealing.

"Additionally, the alleyway has easy access through to Dunster Street making it an ideal place for fly-tippers. The highway itself is out of sight and also regularly used for dumping bags of rubbish and white goods.

“By gating this alleyway through the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) that is in place we hope this will deter future anti-social behaviour in the area and will help to improve the quality of life for local people.”

PSPOs provide councils with flexible powers to address a range of anti-social behaviour issues in public places to help prevent future issues. Restrictions can be placed on an area where activities have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of local people.

Enforcement of the Order would be carried out by the Council and Northamptonshire Police. Any breach of the Order would be a criminal offence with a possible fine of up to £1000 or prosecution. More information is available on Northampton Borough Council website.