Court action to protect a vulnerable tenant at a council property has resulted in a closure order to restrict who can visit there in future.
It comes after anti-social behaviour by visitors to the South Kesteven District Council property at Uplands Drive in Grantham, where the tenant was being put at risk.
The court decision means that if named individuals are discovered or reported to be at the property, Lincolnshire Police now have the power of arrest and can pursue them through the criminal process.
Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Cllr Phil Dilks, said: “Our Housing team, working closely with SKDC’s Neighbourhoods team, has done an incredible amount of work to ensure the success of this Partial Closure order.
“We have worked closely with the tenant so that they understand that this was to protect them and to disrupt potential exploitation.
“SKDC staff will continue working with a range of partner agencies and the police to support this tenant.
“The legal action and ongoing work by our Housing team is being welcomed by people living nearby who have been impacted by the activities at the property. As a responsible landlord SKDC has a duty to support all our tenants to deal with issues that can arise.
“The public should be confident in reporting issues to SKDC or the Police, knowing that they can be heard and that we will take robust and appropriate action to achieve results that improve our local communities.”
The Partial Closure Order is for three months, until February 9th 2024, and was executed jointly with the police, when the property was made secure.
A copy of the Partial Closure Order is displayed outside the property and anyone breaching it could be arrested and, if found guilty, face a punishment of up to 51 weeks in prison and/or an unlimited fine.