Is anti-social behaviour impacting your life?

Vandalism & Littering

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What is considered vandalism?

Vandalism can include, but is not limited to:

Damage to a property or vehicle. Graffiti.

What is considered littering?

Littering can include, but is not limited to:

• Fly-tipping, fly-dumping and fly-grazing
• Fly-posting
• General litter
• Inappropriate storing of rubbish in gardens/untidy gardens
• Dog fouling
• Inappropriate discarding of syringes and/or condoms

Diary sheets

Diary sheets are a great way to record what is happening, how often and the impact this has had on yourself and your household.

Please ensure that you pass these diary sheets onto your case officer regularly so they can review the content and consider what action to take. If a case goes to court, (although this is not always necessary to stop the anti-social behaviour) records of the ASB captured in good detail at the time it happened will help officers handling the case by providing credible, accurate evidence.

Most agencies will have a template ASB diary sheet that they should be able to supply you with. However, in the meantime, you can use your own diary or download the ASB Help Diary Sheet.

Here are some steps you can follow to deal with, or report the vandalism and/or littering:

  1. If a littering issue is due to a neighbour, attempt a reasonable discussion with them (written or verbally) to try and resolve the issue. Only do this is you feel it is appropriate to approach your neighbour.
  2. Contact your local authority. Local authority’s often have a dedicated section on their website for vandalism and/or littering.
  3. If vandalism is or has taken place, please report to the police.
  4. If any graffiti contains offensive content, please contact your local authority to have it removed ASAP.

What can I do to prevent vandalism?

If you are experiencing chronic vandalism, here are some things you could implement to deter vandals:

  • Install lighting i.e. dusk-till-dawn lighting – ensure it is out of reach from vandals.
  • Join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
  • Plant shrubs or use a low fence to create a boundary between the street and your home.
  • Consider planting prickly plants to prevent vandals from accessing vulnerable points at your property e.g. ground floor windows.
  • Use anti-graffiti coating for walls prone to graffiti.
  • Use security film (a clear or opaque covering that sticks to windows) to stop any glass shards from falling out of the frame if damaged.

What can I do to prevent littering?

If you notice that people are regularly littering on/near your property, here are somethings you can try to deter littering:

Ensure you keep your property tidy – a tidy property portrays a sense of order.

Put in a request to your local authority for more public bins/signs/security cameras.

Join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

What should I do if nothing has worked?

Request an ASB Case Review

You may feel like you have exhausted all your options. You may have reported anti-social behaviour but feel no one is listening and the anti-social behaviour is continuing. The ASB Case Review has been designed for this situation.

If you (or others with your consent) have reported three incidents (or more) within a six-month period, you can activate the ASB Case Review. This will activate a multi-agency case review designed to devise an action plan to resolve the anti-social behaviour collectively.

Read more about the ASB Case Review.