RESIDENTS in North Lanarkshire face eviction as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour.

Since April last year, the local authority have issued 17 Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) against residents who persistently misbehaved.

More than 70 per cent of orders granted by the court have not been breached by residents but for a small minority, eviction was the only answer.

A 46-year-old man from Motherwell, was issued with an ASBO to stop him shouting, swearing, threatening and using sectarian language in and around his home.

A locality team, residents and estate officers continued to monitor the situation and when the order was breached, he was charged by Police Scotland and evicted.

A further six people were evicted for antisocial behaviour without being issued with an order.

Another case involving a 46-year-old Bellshill man resulted in an ASBO being granted to prohibit shouting, swearing, drunken behaviour and harassing neighbours.

The ASBO was initially effective in stopping the behaviour, but due to serious alcohol issues, the offending behaviour re-emerged and the man was charged with Breach of the Order and remanded in prison for three weeks.

On his release, North Lanarkshire Council converted his tenancy to a Short Scottish Secure Tenancy, to address the underlying issues and extended the ASBO which continues to prove effective in curbing the antisocial behaviour.

A 20-year-old Coatbridge man was also served with an ASBO after shouting, screaming and causing general disturbances in and around his flat on a nightly basis.

Despite intensive joint working and visits by our out-of-hours team and Police Scotland, this offending behaviour continued. An interim ASBO was granted at court and this was swiftly followed by a full ASBO.

This was instantly breached and the tenant was charged by Police Scotland, leading to him deciding to leave his property rather than be bound by the terms of the ASBO.

Stephen Llewellyn, Head of Housing Solutions, said: “Our service remains committed to tackling antisocial behaviour and our pro-active approach ensures most complaints are resolved at an early stage.

“However, I’d like to reassure residents that for persistent offenders, our Locality Teams will work with our communities and partners to ensure the most robust action is taken to tackle any reoffending.

“Don’t suffer antisocial behaviour in silence, we’re here to help.”