A meeting of Byers Green residents took place in the Village Hall recently after a resident had contacted their County Councillor about a garden shed that had been set on fire.
The purpose of the meeting, which was attended by approximately 70 people and organised by Cllr Pete Molloy, was in response to an increase in anti-social behaviour and other general criminal activity in the village.
Representatives from Livin, the police and Durham County Council’s Neighbourhood Warden Team were also present.
“The main issues raised concerned the alleged anti-social behaviour activities of some of the tenants of Livin,” said Cllr Molloy, “which residents said was making the village not a nice place to live and was affecting a lot people’s lives.
“One lady broke down in tears when she informed the meeting that one of the people allegedly causing a lot of the anti-social behaviour had entered her property uninvited and was walking around.
“A Livin representative informed the meeting that they couldn’t talk about individual cases, but they are aware that issues had heightened in the last ten days and they are in the process of addressing issues against tenants who are contravening their tenancy agreement.
“The Livin representative went on to say that they believed the answer to tackling the anti-social behaviour issues from their tenants could be found at the meeting if people were prepared to come forward and report the issues to them.
“This would enable the collection of evidence to go through the eviction process, because at the moment there is not enough evidence against any tenant.
“Some residents said they have submitted some complaints,” added Cllr Molloy, “and Livin’s newly appointed Housing Adviser for Byers Green informed the meeting she is putting a file together on one anti-social behaviour case and was happy to receive more evidence from residents.
“One resident thanked the Housing Adviser for all the help and assistance they had received from her.
“The police sergeant for the area informed the meeting that they too could not go into details of any ongoing investigation, but they are going through the process in one specific case.
“It had also been alleged by a resident that a known criminal, before their recent arrest, had been staying in a caravan parked in the street, outside of a property, and that caravan was contributing to the alleged anti-social behaviour.
“The DCC Neighbourhood Warden for Byers Green informed the meeting that the caravan had now gone.
“A resident asked the police what could be done about the speeding motorbikes going through the village and those riding the motorbikes not wearing helmets.
“The police informed the meeting that there is an ongoing problem with motorbikes in the area with different age groups and they need to know where the motorbikes are being stored, so they can act and have had some success with the drones.”
After the meeting Cllr Molloy said: “I was happy to organise the meeting after I had visited the village to speak with a couple of residents about the anti-social behaviour issues they told me the village was experiencing and they wanted something doing about it.
“It was good to see a lot of residents come along and raise their concerns and I hope their concerns can be addressed by both the police and Livin, but they need to work with those organisations and I encourage them to do so.
“I would like to thank the representatives from Livin, the police and DCC’s Neighbourhood Wardens for attending the meeting and Jennifer for facilitating the meeting in the Village Hall.
“A future village meeting in March, which would be held in the evening, is being considered and the details will be released once confirmed.
“In the meantime, Byers Green residents can report any anti-social behaviour issues concerning Livin tenants via email to claire.oconnor[@]livin[.]co[.]uk and any criminal activity can be reported to the police phoning 101 or contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
