What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) includes any behaviour that causes harassment, alarm, distress, or serious nuisance to others. It may be targeted at individuals, groups, or affect the wider community.
The legal definition of ASB is:
“Behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to people not of the same household.”
This means ASB can be anything from repeated loud noise or nuisance neighbours to more serious incidents like harassment or intimidation.
Types of anti-social behaviour
We will usually treat the following as anti-social behaviour if it causes harassment, alarm, distress, or significant nuisance:
- Repeated or loud noise, including music or shouting
- Verbal abuse, swearing or threatening language
- Alcohol or drug-related nuisance, including dealing or use in public areas
- Misuse of shared spaces, like stairwells, gardens or corridors
- Animal nuisance, such as persistent barking or uncontrolled pets
- Vehicle nuisance, including revving engines or reckless driving
- Littering, fly-tipping or leaving rubbish in shared areas
We will always treat the following as serious ASB:
- Hate crime
- Harassment
- Physical violence
- Threats of violence
What is not anti-social behaviour?
Not all nuisance is classed as ASB.
We assess each case individually, but some types of behaviour are a normal part of everyday life.
Here are examples of things we don’t usually treat as ASB:
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Children playing or babies crying
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Everyday household noise – such as toilets flushing, doors closing or vacuuming
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One-off neighbour disagreements or personal disputes
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Groups of young people socialising (unless they are behaving in a threatening way)
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Parking disputes where there are no restrictions or legal controls
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Routine DIY or car repairs, unless they happen late at night or early morning
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Civil disputes between neighbours – such as over boundaries, fences or shared driveways
Further advice