Behaviour order for nightmare neighbour

A PEST has been sentenced to a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order after his anti-social behaviour made neighbours’ lives a misery.

Robin Smith, 63, of Ernest Street, Boldon Colliery, was handed the order by South Tyneside Magistrates, following his conviction for breaching a Community Protection Notice.

The action was taken after 18 complaints were made in the space of a year about rubbish being stored and fires being lit at his property, dogs and verbal abuse.

Enforcement officers from South Tyneside Council believed he was involved in unlicensed waste disposal, resulting in flytipping or the illegal disposal of commercial waste at domestic recycling facilities. They believed his property was being used to store and transfer refuse.

They issued him with a Community Protection Warning on December 9 last year, and when he failed to address the issues raised, was served with a Community Protection Notice. The Criminal Behaviour Order will run until April 27 2027.

Coun Jim Foreman, lead member for housing and community safety, said: “Mr Smith has been warned repeatedly and this is his last opportunity to change his behaviour, which has been having a negative impact on the local community. If he fails to comply with this order, it could lead to a prison sentence of a maximum of five years. Anti-social behaviour can really affect the quality of people’s lives and we will continue to work with our partners to take action against it.”

The Criminal Behaviour Order prohibits Smith from using any vehicle to carry waste for profit or gain, as well as carrying controlled waste in any vehicle under his control without a valid waste carrier’s license.

He also must not deposit waste without a valid environmental permit, get rid of refuse at any other venue than a licensed facility, or store waste externally at his property anywhere else bar a local authority designated bin.