Closure order granted for property blighted by anti-social behaviour in Harehills

A property in Harehills plagued by anti-social behaviour has been ‘closed’ by Leeds City Council.

This follows a joint operation by the Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team (LASBT) and West Yorkshire Police, which resulted in a Closure Order being secured for 29 Darfield Road at Leeds Magistrates Court. At the hearing, the court was informed that earlier in the year, the property was subject to a raid by the police which resulted in the seizure of 360 bags of cannabis and £2,400 in cash. This was undertaken in response to concerns that were raised regarding the illegal activity of individuals living at the home.

As part of the closure order, 29 Darfield Road will now be closed for up to six weeks. In that time, no one other than the landlord and agreed contractors will be allowed to access the property during that time.

Any residents suffering from anti-social behaviour can get in touch with LASBT in the following ways: To report in the daytime call 0113 222 4402 or out of hours on 0113 3950143 (between 6pm and 3.30am).

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said:

“Anti-social behaviour is a blight on our communities, and residents can be assured that with partners we will use every tool at our disposal to put a stop to it.

“I am pleased therefore that through the courts with the police we have been able to secure a Closure Order for this property in Harehills which become a hub for a variety of illegal and anti-social activity.

“Nobody should suffer in silence, and I would urge anyone who is suffering from any type of anti-social behaviour to please contact our LASBT team.”

Superintendent Sam Millar, who heads Safer Leeds, said:

“The issues created by the drug-dealing activities centred on this property were really badly affecting the lives of people living in the area.

"The granting of this closure order will give real support to the ongoing partnership work we have been doing to address the issues there and we hope residents will see significant improvements.

“We will continue to monitor the situation in this area and take appropriate action to make sure these issues are not just displaced elsewhere.”