Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has successfully taken court action against a resident in Hildenborough following a breach of a Community Protection Notice (CPN).
The individual had been causing persistent issues including screaming, shouting and intimidating behaviour. In December 2024, the council issued a Community Protection Warning requesting that the behaviour should cease. When the issues continued, a formal Community Protection Notice was served. Despite this, the behaviour did not stop and the council progressed the matter to court.
At a hearing on 26 March 2025, the individual pleaded guilty to breaching the Community Protection Notice, contrary to section 48(1) of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The court imposed a fine of £120, ordered £100 to be paid towards the council’s costs, and applied a £48 victim surcharge.
Community Protection Notices are legal tools that can be used to tackle persistent, unreasonable behaviour that has a detrimental effect on a local community’s quality of life. They can be issued to individuals aged 16 or over, as well as businesses or organisations, and are commonly used to address issues such as noise nuisance, intimidation, graffiti and environmental problems. Breaching a CPN is a criminal offence.
Throughout this case, the council’s Anti-Social Behaviour team and Environmental Protection Team, worked closely with affected residents. Officers visited neighbouring households, gathered evidence and supported residents to prepare statements for use in the legal proceedings. The individual was also offered support to help address their behaviour, however this was not taken up.
Councillor Des Keers, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “Anti-social behaviour can have a serious and long-lasting impact on people’s wellbeing and their ability to feel safe in their own homes. This case demonstrates that we will always try to resolve matters through early intervention and support, but where behaviour continues and warnings are ignored, we will take appropriate enforcement action to protect our communities.”
The individual is a tenant of Clarion Housing, which is separately considering its own legal options to support affected residents.
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and working with partners to make the borough a safe and pleasant place to live. Residents who are experiencing anti-social behaviour are encouraged to report it to the council.