Police called to Musselburgh council estate over 100 times due to antisocial behaviour

Six streets in Musselburgh have been singled out by East Lothian Council as having problem tenants

POLICE were called out to a single street on a council estate more than 100 times last year as antisocial behaviour hit a worrying high.

Six streets in Musselburgh have been singled out by East Lothian Council as having problem tenants and a reputation for drug issues and trouble.

The area in the town, which is referred to as the Wimpey estate locally, has just under 250 council properties on the streets. However, nearly 500 incidents involving police and antisocial behaviour officers were recorded last year.

Macbeth Moir Road

A report to East Lothian Council warns that long-term tenants have been moving out amid fears that new vulnerable residents will become “easy targets” for local drug dealers and criminal gangs.

The council is being asked to introduce a local letting plan which would allow vacant properties to be allocated outwith the normal allocations policy.

A report says that new tenants will have additional attributes including having no history of antisocial behaviour, and being in work or education at the time.

It says: “A lettings plans would allow us to have a longer-term plan to try and regain more stability within this close community, in and around the Wimpey estate.”

The report revealed that one of the streets in the Wimpey estate, Macbeth Moir Road, which has 58 council properties on it, saw 104 police incidents and a further 26 antisocial behaviour reports during 2019.

Other streets included in the proposed plan include Galt Avenue, Galt Road, Moir Avenue, Moir Crescent and Delta Road.

The report says: “Some of our tenants that lived in this area for a long period of time have decided to move out, therefore most allocations will be made to applicants from the general needs list.

“These cases can often include young applicants, some with various issues such as addiction, extreme mental health, alcoholism etc... these tenants can become easy targets for local dealers and in some cases criminal organisations.”

It adds that while official complaints about the street are not regular, officers are aware of regular incidents which are not reported because of “fear of reprisals”. Housing on the streets is not in high demand, with only four people currently on the waiting list.

It says: “This is partly because of the property type but commonly because of the ongoing problems over the years from drug users and suppliers.”

Two further local letting plans have also been drawn up – one for a single street in Prestonpans and one for a street in North Berwick.

The plan for McLeod Crescent in Prestonpans says that 29 council properties are there and it has historically not been a popular choice for people seeking a home.

It says local intelligence suggests “there are fights breaking out in the middle of the street on a regular basis”. It added that tenants have found used needles in their gardens.

The report says: “It has been difficult and almost impossible to implement any enforcement action under the antisocial behaviour policy because the complainers are frightened of repercussions.”