City Council secures order against nuisance neighbour

Winchester City Council has secured a Possession Order against a local resident following complaints from neighbours about his anti-social behaviour.

Possession proceedings were pursued against Laurie Smart of Furley Close, Winnall following a number of complaints from neighbours. Mr Smart was found to be responsible for an array of antisocial behaviour, including: noise from doors slamming, banging on the ceiling and walls of the property, extremely foul language, aggressive and intimidating behaviour, and the shouting of obscenities.

Thanks to successful working relations between the City Council and local residents, Mr Smart was evicted on 29th July 2010. Information was compiled with the support and assistance of local residents. The evidence clearly showed the negative impact Mr Smart was having on his neighbours' quality of life.

The City Council had previously obtained an injunction against Mr Smart which he subsequently breached and on 15th June 2010. Along with an order for Possession, Mr Smart was sentenced to prison for 21 days.

Cllr Lucille Thompson, the City Council's Portfolio Holder for Communities, said: "Due to the behaviour of this particular tenant, residents were being deprived of the peaceful enjoyment of their homes. Winchester City Council is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and, whilst every attempt is made to steer individuals away from behaving in an anti-social manner, action had to be taken in this instance due to the impact of Mr Smart's behaviour on the local community."

Date published: 10/08/2010