‘There are people sleeping under a bridge, and there's used condom wrappers all over the pavement,’ says councillor calling for action to clean up crime in Northampton neighbourhood

West Northants Labour group leader Councillor Sally Keeble has called on West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Northamptonshire Police to take urgent action over drug-related crime, anti-social behaviour, and rough sleeping in the Semilong area of Northampton.

Her call came after a Semilong business owner contacted her following coverage in the Chronicle & Echo about drug-related crime a couple of minutes down the road in St James, where a man was recently seen wielding machete in broad daylight.

On a visit to the Semilong area, Councillor Keeble was told about drug-taking and dealing in side streets and the Grafton Street industrial estate parking areas, as well as street sex-working, and a homelessness encampment under Spencer Bridge.

Councillor Keeble said: “There is drug dealing, open dealing, including at six o'clock in the morning, when people are starting to come in to open up their businesses… it's all completely open, there's constant complaints to the police. There's clear evidence of certainly sex working around in the area, it’s a notorious hotspot.

"I've put in a request to the police and to the council, both about dealing with the crime and antisocial behaviour issues. And also…making sure that people aren't left homeless sleeping under a bridge.

"This is an important part of the inner city with businesses, housing and a primary school nearby. The presence of this type of crime and anti-social behaviour is damaging to everyone who lives or works in the area.

"There are big plans to regenerate the town centre. But what people need now are smaller steps to stop the crime and anti-social behaviour that is blighting the area.

“It’s thanks to the Chronicle & Echo coverage that this issue was raised.”

WNC said it works closely with Northamptonshire Police and other partners to tackle all forms of crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as homelessness and rough sleeping.

A council spokeswoman said: “No one should have to sleep on the streets, and our teams are working hard to provide support, including emergency accommodation and access to health and housing services for those in need. Through initiatives such as the Community Safety Partnership, we take a proactive, coordinated approach to prevention, enforcement and support, ensuring that we can target our activity on communities which need it most. Whether addressing serious offences, neighbourhood concerns, or emerging threats, our focus remains on making West Northamptonshire a safer place for all residents. We continue to encourage members of the public to report concerns and work with us to build resilient, safe communities.”

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm we have received the report from Councillor Keeble and would like to use this opportunity to encourage the residents in these areas to contact us directly so we can respond to their concerns quickly and efficiently. You can do this either by calling us on 101, reporting online at www.northants.police.uk/ro, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. As a neighbourhood policing team, we are keen to tackle crime on our patch and work alongside our local communities to problem-solve and help make where they live a nicer place.”