High Town path fenced off after drug and prostitution woes

A path notorious for its drug and prostitution problems was gated off by Luton Borough Council today.

Access to Mussons Path in High Town will be made that much more difficult after two entrances were gated from Elgar Path, situated on the Paths housing estate.

The Public Spaces Protection Order was made on the two entrances after complaints about anti-social behaviour in the area.

One resident said: “We’ll wait to see how much of a difference it makes. It depends on how big this gate is.

“If it’s six-foot tall it might put off the pros but it’s nothing for some of the lads we see causing trouble.”

LBC’s director for public protection Sarah Hall said: “It is imperative that we do everything we can to ensure issues of anti-social behaviour are addressed, so that residents feel safe and secure in their homes.

“By installing these gates, we intend to remove access to areas that have provided opportunities for criminality to take place.“

Bedfordshire Police and other organizations led patrols to tackle problems in the area but residents continued to report concerns.

An online consultation took place in April 2016, as well as door knocking and face to face consultation, in relation to options to tackle the issues including gating and restricting the access from Mussons Path onto Elgar Path.

The comments were reviewed and it was agreed to seek getting a gating order, this will be installed at 2 of the 3 access points from Mussons Path onto Elgar Path. The sealed order can be found on the Luton Borough Council website www.luton.gov.uk