Defining antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour can be difficult to define. Although annoying, some types of behaviour are not classed as antisocial behaviour so will therefore not be investigated by the Priority Antisocial Behaviour Team.

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Examples include:

• children playing in the street or communal areas
• young people gathering socially, unless they are swearing and intimidating individuals
• being unable to park outside your home
• DIY and car repairs, unless they are taking place late at night
• smelly cooking
• dustbins being moved or used by another neighbour
• complaints such as one-off parties
• civil disputes between neighbours such as boundary arguments and shared driveways: these complaints will be referred to Luton Mediation

The following advice may help to avoid conflict with your neighbours:

• ensure you do not play loud music between 11pm and 6am
• keep the volume of your television down, particularly between 11pm and 6am
• avoid slamming doors and running heavily up the stairs: this noise can be amplified in adjoining properties
• avoid DIY or moving the lawn late at night or early in the morning
• try to avoid carrying out car repairs during unsociable hours
• if you’re planning on having a party, tell your neighbours or consider inviting them to join you. If the noise goes on into the early hours of the morning, your neighbour may have cause to complain to the council who could issue you with a warning and/or penalty notice
• if your teenagers are having a party, always make sure they are supervised
• try to keep your garden neat and hedges trimmed
• car parking is problematic across Luton and with more and more cars on the road, there is likely to be a shortage of spaces. Avoid parking on footpaths and grass verges as this can be dangerous to pedestrians, and avoid parking across driveways
• If your bin goes missing, contact [email protected] to request a replacement rather than resorting to using your neighbours bin, and make sure you put all your waste inside your bin rather than leaving it in the street as this is flytipping
• if you are a smoker and smoke outside your home, try to smoke away from the immediate area if your neighbours have their windows open. Ensure any cigarette butts do not end up in your neighbour’s garden
• be considerate towards others
• do not trespass on other people’s property or use it as a shortcut: you do not have the right to enter to check fences or drains without seeking your neighbour’s permission first

Don’t forget to pass this information on to other members of your family. Unnecessarily noisy and antisocial children and visitors can cause a problem in any neighbourhood.

Full details, forms and advice are available from:

Neighbourhood Services
Town Hall
Upper George Street
Luton
LU1 2BQ

T: 01582 510 330
E: [email protected]
W: www.luton.gov.uk