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Croydon Council obtains closure order for anti-social behaviour (17 August 2017)

Date: 17/08/2017
Duncan Lewis, Housing Solicitors, Croydon Council obtains closure order for anti-social behaviour

Croydon Council has obtained a closure order on a flat in a block of retirement apartments, after one resident was verbally abusive to neighbours and also put lives at risk by starting fires on the roof of his apartment.

The order was issued at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court and means the flat at Sovereign Court on Warham Road in Croydon will now be locked for three months.

Legal action was taken after the council’s anti-social behaviour team was approached for help by FirstPort Retirement Property Services Ltd, the firm which manages the flats.

The company had exhausted all other avenues and needed assistance in dealing with Geoffrey Ball, 69 – the occupant of the flat at the centre of the case.

Mr Ball was found to have been verbally abusive to both other residents and staff on many occasions – and had also put lives at risk by starting the fires on the flat roof of his flat.

He was accused of assaulting care workers, setting off alarms on a daily basis and causing regular noise nuisance – as well as a variety of other offences, which resulted in the police being called at least once a week for several months.

Croydon Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for communities, safety, and justice, Councillor David Wood, said:

“This was an extreme case of one individual making the lives of those around them a misery.

“The harassment was so bad that the duty manager often had to lock herself in her office – and the risk posed to residents by the starting of fires and abuse of the alarm is completely unacceptable.

“It is for cases just like this the council set up its anti-social behaviour team – and I’m pleased for those who have had to endure these problems we have achieved this result.”


The council added that, in granting the closure order, the court made it clear that Ball’s behaviour was not just anti-social, but in the case of lighting fires was also criminal.

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