Council report reveals Blackpool’s anti social behaviour hotspots

A new report has revealed trouble hotspots in Blackpool and shows more than 40 per cent of anti-social behaviour happens in just three areas of the town.

The findings from the Community Safety Partnership year end performance report also warn youths climbing on rooftops is increasingly a problem with council chiefs now seeking stronger powers to tackle the issue.

Domestic violence is the most common incident reported to the council, while begging, drug use and incidents in public areas also account for high numbers of calls.

Other complaints to the council include 94 involving neighbour disputes, but there have also been 12 complaints about football in the streets, and nine complaints about bird feeding.

When it comes to incidents reported to the police, Talbot, Bloomfield and Claremont wards emerge as the three worst areas of the town – accounting for just over 42 per cent of anti-social behaviour.

Data collected between March 2024 and February 2025 shows 1,121 incidents in Talbot ward including 95 on Church Street and 84 on Bank Hey Street, which are two of the busiest parts of the town centre.

There were 987 incidents in Bloomfield ward, and Claremont chalked up 968 incidents, with nearly 10 per cent of these on Dickson Road where there is a cluster of licensed premises.

The report says the Community Safety Partnership has a working group which focuses on “preventing and deterring emerging ASB” which works with the police to identify offenders including “the town’s aggressive beggars and rough sleepers causing a nuisance.”

It adds: “The town centre of Blackpool is currently experiencing high levels of ASB committed by individuals who are begging and street drinking. We are currently targeting the top 10 prolific beggars and street drinkers, seeking community behaviour orders for each individual.”

Stronger powers such as civil injunctions are also being sought by the council to deter urban explorers and youths from climbing on empty buildings, such as the former Post Office on Abingdon Street.

The report warns: “A concerning threat emerging in Blackpool is young people climbing up onto roofs of high buildings and urban exploring in abandoned buildings also known as ‘Bando’s’.

“It is not an easy task to safeguard against and is a significant challenge given the amount of empty properties in and around Blackpool.

“Public Protection is looking at applying for Civil Injunctions for buildings of concern such as the old post office and Bonny Street courts in an attempt to dissuade youths from climbing up onto them.”

The report is due to be presented to a meeting of the council’s Climate Change and Environment Scrutiny Committee on March 20.