“They would stand outside my house all night selling drugs and then fights would break out”
A closure order has been placed on a house on Parton Street in Kensington
People living on a quiet residential street have spoken out about the horrors they faced as a result of one nightmare house. Parton Street, a tightly packed terraced street close to Sheil Road in Kensington, is seemingly quiet, home to families and students, but for the last six months it has been suffering from fights, drug dealing and antisocial behaviour.
Up until a closure order was secured by Merseyside Police, people were being woken in the middle of the night as a result of people living in and visiting one of the many homes on the street. Police announced yesterday a closure order had been secured at Sefton Magistrates’ Court for number 50.
This means it is now illegal for people to live in and enter the house, with those breaching the order liable to arrest. Anyone who is found to have breached the order could be jailed for six months and/or be fined up to £5,000.
The ECHO visited the street following the closure order being put in place where neighbours spoke of the antisocial behaviour that has affected their lives over the course of the last six months.
One dad, who asked not to be named, said: “They would stand outside my house all night selling drugs and then fights would break out. My kids would come and stay here and one day, they left the door open because they had been playing on their bikes in the street, one man just walked into my home.
Neighbours spoke out about the antisocial behaviour which has plagued their street this year
“In all honesty, they s**t themselves. They refused to come back because they were scared it was going to happen again.”
He continued: “They would be shouting and screaming at each other throughout the night, calling each other slags, c****, b******s. It was horrible. Children live on this street, it’s full of families, things like that can’t happen.”
Neighbours explained the tenant had been living in the house for around six months, with police being everpresent as neighbours were forced to report antisocial behaviour repeatedly. Walking down the road, houses marked with chalk and childrens decorations were visible just yards away from where alleged drug dealing would take place.
Mohammed Bakeer, a student at the University of Liverpool who has lived on the street for the last year with his wife, explained: “In the middle of the night we would be trying to sleep and they would sit on our doorstep drinking.
“They would be making noise and waking us up, I would have to come down and tell them to go.”
He continued: “I would see police down here regularly, outside that house, neighbours just have to keep ringing the police. People living on this street have families and they had to live with that.
“I just want to thank the police for closing down the house.”
One dad explained how he repeatedly saw police on the road but would keep his children inside scared of what might come should they be able to play out too often.
The closure order at 50 Parton Street
The house now sits with sheets of metal over the windows and doors with the closure notice visible to anyone passing by.
Constable Ciaran Morrison from the Tuebrook Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This closure order has been obtained through an effective partnership with the housing provider, and working with the wider community, who have been invaluable in coming forward and sharing information with us to secure it.
“The anti-social behaviour and associated criminal activity at this address was causing alarm and distress to neighbours. We hope this closure order provides reassurance to the community that such behaviour will not tolerated.
“We hope that this also serves as a warning and deterrent to anyone who allows or partakes in activity at their address that damages the local community, and that we will actively take measures to prevent this behaviour and any further offences.
“If you experience any offences where you live, please come forward and speak to us when these issues affect you, for all of our benefit.”
Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can also report anti-social behaviour and other crime to the force’s social media desk @MerPolCC or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on X or via 101.