The email boxes of MPs and councillors are usually early warning systems for trouble brewing with anti-social behaviour. And so it was last week that my mailbox started pinging with complaints about an unlawful encampment on Lancing Manor. Constituents were rightly up in arms about quadbikes, vans and cars riding roughshod over this much cherished and much used local amenity. The cricket pitch was being trashed, dogs running wild and abuse flying around with one councillor being treated to a ‘moon’ from one of the new visitors.
Several years ago, Lancing especially was the target of repeated such visitations and we have been relatively lucky since helped by some serious reinforcements of the boundary to Lancing Beach Green and strengthening of barriers by the Leisure Centre. There has been similar work applied to Southwick Green and Adur Rec. Thanks to the hard work of ward councillors Carol and Caron Albury and some relentless reporting of anti-social incidents by local people to the police and on community social media pages, we were able to convince the police to issue a Section 61 Notice forcing the visitors to leave within 48 hours of arriving.
They went the way they came but not without taking a chainsaw to one of the trees lining the road to the Leisure Centre car park to aid their exit. Thanks to Adur Council staff who were on site to repair the damage and clear up the mess at 6.30 the following morning. Later that morning more than 60 local people turned up at the street briefing with police, councillors and me and were rightly asking why the police had not done more to stop them and would arrests be made and people held to account. My Facebook posts on the subject have so far reached over 36,000 people with lots of comments calling for tougher action.
Fortunately measures in the Police & Crime Bill currently going through Parliament will make this sort of trespass a criminal offence and make it easier to seize the property of those causing the damage, and thereby make it easier for the police to take earlier action.
There is still time to register for my ‘Bouncing Back from COVID Business Summit’ on Friday at 8.30am with staff from the DWP, Council and Employment Minister Mims Davies to give help and advice to local businesses getting over COVID and also looking to recruit. Send me an email if you would like to attend. Otherwise I look forward to seeing you at a sunny Shoreham Farmer’s Market street surgery on Saturday from 10am.
