Seacourt's diaries help win court case

A court granted an order for possession of a property in the estate, due to persistent antisocial behaviour by its occupants, causing nuisance and annoyance to neighbours.

“The Housing Executive is committed to tackling antisocial behaviour in our housing areas, often working with others to ensure that residents can have quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their homes,” Elizabeth Martin, NIHE’s district manager in Larne, said afterwards.

It was not an action the housing body took lightly, but only as a last resort, said Ms Martin, who added: “All other attempts to resolve the problem had been unsuccessful.”

She explained: “As a housing authority, we do not want to see people losing their homes. However, we have a duty to the vast majority of residents in our housing areas who are law-abiding and have a right to be able to live in peace. In dealing with antisocial behaviour, staff in Larne work to resolve problems through early intervention and mediation, often preventing the need for more serious action to be taken.

“We work closely with other agencies and also depend on support in the local community. We cannot take legal action for breach of tenancy conditions without evidence – a court will not remove a tenancy without proof.”

The district manager added: “In this case, the collation of information by way of maintaining incident diaries over a period of time was vital as evidence in securing the order.”

Ms Martin pledged: “In Larne, we will continue to work with residents to resolve issues of antisocial behaviour, however we will not hesitate to take eviction action should the circumstances and evidence warrant this.”

She urged anyone experiencing antisocial behaviour to ring 03448 920900 and ask for the Larne district office.