Stacey and I took part in our latest community walkabout in Blackhall Colliery on Tuesday 2 May.
We were joined on our walk around the streets by the neighbourhood wardens, the local PCSO and officers from the safer communities team. As usual, our main focus was on private sector properties in the numbered streets in Blackhall Colliery, but we also took a look at a number of other environmental issues in the village:
The main issues we picked up included:
- Empty private sector properties in Fourth Street, Eighth Street and Tenth Street. The landlords and owners of these properties have been contacted by the private sector housing team and have been made aware of their responsibility to maintain their properties to a decent standard. Specifically, the property at the top of Tenth Street has become a priority, having been broken into a couple of weeks ago. The neighbourhood wardens and the environmental health and community protection team have been in contact with the owner to arrange for repairs to the back door and for the back yard to be cleared of fly-tipping
- The owner of the partly-repaired fence on private land just off Middle Street is being contacted to arrange for repairs to be completed. The fencing on the other side of the land, facing the library, was fully replaced a couple of months ago following intervention by the community action team, so the aim now is to have the rest of the land made secure as soon as possible
- Incidents of fly-tipping in the rear yards of a number of private dwellings have been reported to the owners and landlords with a request that their properties are cleared. This is particularly important where there has been food waste left behind - obviously a feeding source for vermin
- Finally, a number of refuse bins abandoned in the streets have been reported to the refuse and recycling team for their attention. As with food waste in back yards, bins left out in the streets indefinitely are an attraction for rats and other vermin
The local issues covered in this article are in addition to a few others we’ve raised at the latest PACT meeting held last week at the parish office in Blackhall Colliery. A link to that meeting can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/05/illegal-access-on-public-footpaths-and.html
Our next community walkabout is due to take place early next month in Hesleden. If there are any issues you would like us to know about in advance please let us know at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk
