Home Group and Police target troublemakers in Whitehaven town centre

Cumbria Police and Home Group have been made aware of people sleeping and ‘loitering’ in communal areas of some of the housing association’s blocks of flats.

The incidents at properties on Queen Street, George Street, New Street and College Street, have seen people damaging communal areas, engaging in anti-social behaviour and intimidating residents.

Kathleen Robinson, who has lived in her privately-owned flat on George Street for 16 years, says she has had ‘three years of hell’ due to anti-social behaviour and drug use.

She said: “It’s just a constant worry, really. There’s a lot going on – it’s mainly drug-related. A young lad went out in a body bag. That was a terrible experience for us. There are really old people living here. It was so scary seeing a young lad being taken out in a body bag.

“We have never known anything like it. In the last three years, it’s all been escalating. There’s that many people being given flats with mental health and substance misuse problems and nobody is looking out for them. They put them with decent, law-abiding people and they are just doing what they want.  

“Years ago, these flats all had older people in them. Things have changed - now they are putting any age group in. I think the answer is to vet them before they get flats.

“There’s a big drug problem in Whitehaven. Our lovely town centre is ruined with it all. It’s nice to be living here right near the harbour but this just spoils it. It’s really scary at times, especially for older people.”

Mrs Robinson praised James Varah, a senior operations manager at Home Group, for ‘getting things done’ and for coming to see her and apologising personally.

Kathleen Robinson, a resident at George Street in Whitehaven, said she has had 'three years of hell' due to drug use and anti-social behaviour in neighbouring properties (Image: Newsquest)

But she said she was now worried that the situation could get worse following the latest incidents.

She added: “People need to report things and make sure their doors are secure or it’s going to get out of hand again.

“It’s a terrible situation. I don’t know what’s going wrong with society.”

Police and Home Group are now calling on the public to help in their fight against the culprits by reporting all incidents.

James Varah, a senior operations manager at Home Group, said: “We have received a small but still concerning number of reports from customers living in Whitehaven town centre that there have been non Home Group customers sleeping and loitering in the communal areas of some of our town centre flats.

“My team are taking robust action and have already removed a number of people from a block of flats in Duke Street. We are also working closely with Cumbria Police to tackle any criminal behaviour.

“While we appreciate that people may have found themselves experiencing difficult times and without accommodation, we are clear that residents within the town should be able to live in their homes, free of intimidation.

“As part of Home Group’s approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in the town we have secured a civil injunction against a further non Home Group person who has been causing significant issues in the neighbourhood.

James Varah, a senior operations manager at Home Group, is urging residents to report all issues to the housing association, which will allow staff to take 'robust' action (Image: Newsquest)

“I’d like to encourage anyone who experiences this sort of behaviour or anyone who experiences anti-social behaviour in general to report this to us. You can contact us by calling our Customer Service Centre on 0345 141 4663 or by visiting our website at www.homegroup.org.uk. This will allow me and my team to tackle any issues robustly.

“We will be sending out a number of proactive communications to residents, encouraging people to contact us over the coming weeks.”

A spokesperson for Cumbria Police said: “We are continuing to take action against anti-social behaviour in the Whitehaven town centre area. This activity has seen us make over 15 arrests in the last two months in the town centre and are actively targeting known nominals.

“Whitehaven town centre is also part of Operation Enhance – which is an operation that sees extra police patrols in areas identified as hotspots for anti-social behaviour and/or serious violence across the county. This follows additional £1m of extra funding from the Government’s Hotspot Response Fund by the Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The area is also subject to a Copeland Local Focus Hub Case. The hub sees partner agencies work together to tackle issues.

“Throughout June and July there have been reports of rough sleepers in communal premises in Queen Street, George Street, New Street and College Street.

“We have been working with Home Group and Riverside Housing Associations to clear out discarded property and make the premises more secure.

“Operation Enhance patrols alongside NPT officers have also been working with the housing associations to problem solve issues, as well as other partners. These include fly tipping, introduction of barriers at the taxi rank etc.

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"We would encourage those living in those areas to continue to report incidents of anti-social behaviour to ourselves and the housing associations.

“The Neighbourhood policing team also hold regular police desks for residents to report issues, future dates can be found on the website under your area.”

To report any instance of anti-social behaviour, people can contact Home Group by:

• Calling 0345 141 4663
• Visiting www.homegroup.org.uk/ASB
• By contacting their named housing manager

If people feel they require police assistance, they can contact Cumbria Police by:

• In an emergency, dialling 999
• In a non-emergency, dialling 101
• In a non-emergency, visiting www.cumbria.police.uk