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The action follows an earlier announcement about “Winter of action” activity taking place across Weston-super-Mare and associated hotspots in a bid to improve safety, reduce anti-social behaviour and support vulnerable people during the busy winter period.
In recent weeks, several empty commercial buildings have recently been unlawfully accessed, attracting groups of people and resulting in repeated incidents of anti-social behaviour and ongoing community impact. The unlawful entry and associated activity posed significant safety risks to surrounding communities and businesses and required urgent action.
In response, council officers and police teams carried out joint inspections of the properties, identified the responsible landlords, and took firm action to ensure each building was made safe.
As a result of this coordinated approach, all affected premises have now been properly secured, reducing the risk of further unlawful entry and helping to restore safety and confidence in the area.
The recent interventions to protect and secure town centre properties highlights the commitments of multi-agency partnership working across North Somerset, with both the council, police, combining resources, intelligence and enforcement powers to achieve swift and effective results and provide reassurance to lease holders, local businesses and surrounding communities.
As part of these efforts, North Somerset’s 24/7 CCTV and Community Response teams work together on the ground and behind the scenes to monitor over 300 cameras and deliver fast, proactive action to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour across the district.
The council and police will continue proactive patrols and regular engagement with property owners to prevent a repeat of these issues and to support ongoing improvements in Weston-super-Mare town centre and surrounding areas.
How to report concerns around vacant properties or anti-social behaviour
If you witness a crime in the town, report it to the Police on 999 in an emergency, or 101 for non-emergencies.
If you are suspicious or concerned that something may be about to happen, you can contact the CCTV Team directly on 01934 634711.
Further information is available on the Safer Stronger North Somerset webpage: https://saferstrongerns.co.uk/
Cllr Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Community Services and Safety, said: “These buildings posed a clear safety risk and were contributing to wider issues of anti-social behaviour in the town centre. By working closely with Avon and Somerset Police, we were able to engage directly with landlords and ensure that the necessary security measures were put in place quickly. Making sure our town centres are safe and secure is all part of our “Winter of action” activity to improve Weston and hotspot areas and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents and visitors.”
Neighbourhood inspector Lee Kerslake said: “Ensuring residents are safe and feel safe has been the focus of our partnership with North Somerset Council consistently, and working together to tackle what has been a significant safety issue has been a clear example of this. We are focused as a partnership on identifying and tackling the issues that affect our communities and encourage people to raise concerns to enable us to build on the significant progress we are making throughout our Winter of Action to keep Weston safe.”