What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) can be:

• alcohol-related criminal behaviour
• vandalism
• verbal abuse
• vehicle abandonment, nuisance or inappropriate use
• rowdy or inconsiderate behaviour
• drugs and alcohol misuse and paraphernalia
• prostitution
• begging or vagrancy

What is not anti-social behaviour?

• Living noise - for example:
  • noise from children running and playing
  • noise from opening and closing cupboards
  • noisy washing machines and toilets flushing
  • loud music, television and loud conversations from the adjoining property
• Disagreements about boundary walls, fences and parking
• Rubbish left outside of a neighbour’s property
• Animals fouling and rodent infestations
• Cooking smells

How to report noise and nuisance

Report anti-social behaviour

• If you rent your property from a housing association, you must contact them to report the behaviour in the first instance.
• If you own your home or live in a private rented property, you can report to our anti-social behaviour team by: 
  Telephone: 020 8274 4901 
  Email: ASBunit@merton.gov.uk

What happens next

You will need to complete a diary sheet over a period of 7-10 days.

• Anti-Social Behaviour Incident Diary (PDF document)
• Anti-Social Behaviour Incident Diary (Word document)

The information you provide will be given to the appropriate agency or passed to a multi-agency group who deal with anti-social behaviour.

We will look at every report and complaint of ASB, understand the cause and use tools and powers available to solve it.

We will work with other agencies such as the Metropolitan Police and social housing providers.

Support for victims of anti-social behaviour

If you experience anti-social behaviour, we can offer you support:

• We will ask other agencies to help you, if you need it
• A home visit – if you can’t visit a council office, for example because you are disabled; you or someone on your behalf can contact us by phone, and we will normally make an appointment
• Offer mediation in appropriate circumstances
• Refer to Victim Support

ASB Case Review: ask for a review of your case

If you feel that no action has been taken over an issue you’ve reported three times in the last six months to us, the police or a registered housing provider, you can ask for a review of your case. This is called an "ASB Case Review".

You can either:

• fill out the ASB case review form and email it to ASBunit@merton.gov.uk with the subject heading 'ASB Case Review', or
• post the completed form, or write a letter to the ASB Case Review, Safer Merton (ASBU), Civic Centre, Morden SM4 5DX, or
• telephone 020 8274 4907 and say you wish to activate a ASB Case Review.

You’ll need to provide:

• details of each time you complained
• details of who you complained to (name, organisation and/or reference number)
• information about the anti-social behaviour

We’ll acknowledge receipt of your form within three working days and pass your case to an ASB Case Review panel of representatives from local agencies. The panel will let you know within ten working days whether your case meets their criteria for review. If it does, you’ll be told what action they plan to take to resolve the issue.

If it doesn’t you’ll be told why and you case will continue to be dealt with by the agency you have reported it to.

Annual report on ASB Case Review

Policy and procedure

Merton Council Anti-Social Behaviour Team Policy and Procedure (May 2024)

Contact us

Anti-social Behaviour Unit
Safer Merton
Merton Council
Civic Centre
London Road
Morden 
SM4 5DX

Telephone: 020 8274 4901
Email: asbunit@merton.gov.uk