Anti-Social Behaviour occurs when “a person has acted in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as him/herself” (Crime and Disorder Act 1998) It may be noise nuisance, verbal abuse, criminal damage or other forms of harassment.
Anti-Social Behaviour can also be classified into 3 different types:
- Personal – when a person targets a specific individual or group.
- Nuisance – when a person causes trouble, annoyance or suffering to a community.
- Environmental – is when a person’s actions affect the wider environment, such as public spaces or buildings (see below for more information).
In an emergency, you should always contact the relevant emergency service (police, fire or ambulance) on 999.
Furthermore, you can report anti-social behaviour to Sussex Police on 101 and obtain a Police Reference number or via the Sussex police webpage.
All information is treated in the strictest confidence; however, whichever agencies reports are made we may share information with our partner agencies in order to provide a solution to your problem.
Mediation
Before reporting a neighbourhood nuisance to us we recommend speaking to the person causing it as they may not be aware of the issue. If this is not successful or where individuals are not approachable, we work with a free mediation service who can assist you in communicating with your neighbour. We recommend phoning them on 01424 446 808 to discuss their services before you report the problem to us.
If you are experiencing problems from your neighbour and either of you are privately renting or social housing tenants, the issues should be reported to your landlord first.
Reporting to the Council
Reports to the Council of anti-social behaviour are dealt with by several Council departments including Environmental Health and Licensing, Customer Services, Planning, Housing and our Community Safety officers via our website.
Neighbourhood Problems
Noise, smoke, water and drains, waste and problem properties, light, dust, odour, invasive weeds, infestations and pest can be reported online.
Dog Control
For further information – please visit our Dog Control page.
The Council also has a Public Space Protection Order No1 which covers fouling, dogs on leads by direction and dogs on leads in designated areas.
Flytipping
The unauthorised deposit/dumping of waste. It is a criminal offence. It includes general household waste, garden waste, bulky household items (fridges, and so on) and commercial waste.
This does not include vehicles or caravans and you should visit the Abandoned Vehicles web page:
Graffiti, Flyposting & Street Cleaning
Planning Disputes and Breaches
If you would like to make a complaint regarding a potential breach in planning control you will need to fully complete and submit an enforcement complaint form.
Anti Social Behaviour related to the impact on a community (Environmental)
e.g.
- Unacceptable behaviour and intimidating groups taking over public spaces
- Vandalism
- Begging
- Anti-social drinking
- Drug use and drug related behaviour
- Reckless driving of motorbikes, cars, cycles
The Council also has Public Space Protection Order No 2 covering consumption of alcohol in a public space and nuisance behaviour.
These incidents can be reported to Sussex Police on 101 or via the Sussex police webpage.
They should also be reported through the Community Safety Team at Rother District Council who work in partnership with the Police and other agencies by using our Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting Form, which is available by clicking the button below.
If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour at the beach and parks or with buskers, skateboarding, playing music or singing and many more incidents please also look at the Bylaws and Licences and Permits which can be found on the Council website which will explain any restrictions.
