Key Points
- Partial closure orders were obtained by Furness Police concerning two residential premises located in Barrow-in-Furness, namely one on Newport Street and one on Pennine Gardens.
- These are in response to frequent reports involving drugs usage, alleged drug dealing, violent acts and other crimes on the properties.
- The orders will be in place for three months, and allow existing residents to stay in the properties but with restricted access to the property being limited to certain individuals.
- According to Damien Mottram, Barrow Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, the order came in response to the complaints from residents.
Newport (Wales Times) September 04, 2026 — Two residential properties in Barrow have been placed under partial closure orders after police recorded repeated incidents of drug use, suspected drug dealing, violence and other criminal activity at the addresses. Furness Police secured the orders for a property on uk/local/newport/">Newport Street and another on Pennine Gardens, restricting who can enter the premises for the next three months while allowing current occupants to remain, according to reporting by the North West Evening Mail.
The orders, obtained through the courts, mean that only a specified list of named individuals are permitted to access the properties during the three-month period. Anyone not on that list is barred from entering, a measure intended to disrupt patterns of criminal and anti-social behaviour linked to the addresses while minimising disruption to lawful residents.
Damien Mottram, Barrow Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, said police had listened to concerns raised by local residents about the two addresses and that the orders were a response to behaviour causing harm, distress and nuisance to people living nearby. “We understand the significant impact that anti-social behaviour and criminal activity can have on communities, and we have listened to the concerns raised by local residents about these addresses,” Mottram said, as reported by the North West Evening Mail.
“Closure Orders are a valuable tool which allow us to take action where properties are repeatedly linked to behaviour that causes harm, distress and nuisance to those living nearby,” he added.
Furness Police said the action forms part of ongoing work to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and to protect local communities. The force did not disclose further operational details about the specific incidents that led to the applications, beyond citing reports of drug use, suspected dealing and violence.
How do partial closure orders work in Barrow?
Partial closure orders are a statutory power available to police and local authorities in England and Wales under anti-social behaviour legislation. They are typically used where a property is associated with persistent criminal or disorderly conduct that affects neighbours and the wider area. Unlike full closure orders, which can prohibit all access, partial orders allow existing occupants to stay but limit entry to named individuals approved by the court or police.
In practice, this means that residents who lawfully live at the property can continue to occupy it, but visitors, associates or others not on the approved list cannot enter. Breach of a closure order is a criminal offence and can lead to arrest and prosecution. The Barrow orders are time-limited to three months, after which police can apply to extend them if necessary or pursue other enforcement routes depending on the circumstances.
The use of closure orders in Cumbria has featured in recent weeks across different premises types. In a separate but related development, a shop in Barrow was closed for three months after a court issued a closure order over criminal activity, disorder and public health concerns linked to the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes, according to the North West Evening Mail.
What did police say about the Newport Street and Pennine Gardens orders?
Furness Police framed the Newport Street and Pennine Gardens orders as a targeted response to repeated reports of drug-related activity and violence. In a statement carried by the North West Evening Mail, the force said it had secured the orders following “reports of drug use, suspected drug dealing, violence, and other criminal activity” at the two properties.
Inspector Mottram emphasised that the decision followed engagement with the community.
“We understand the significant impact that anti-social behaviour and criminal activity can have on communities, and we have listened to the concerns raised by local residents about these addresses,”
he said.
He described closure orders as “a valuable tool” for addressing properties “repeatedly linked to behaviour that causes harm, distress and nuisance to those living nearby”. The statement underlined that the action was part of wider efforts to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and to protect local communities, rather than an isolated enforcement step.
Police did not name individual occupants or provide a chronology of incidents in the public statement, consistent with operational practice and ongoing investigations. The focus of the public messaging was on the legal mechanism, the duration of the orders and the intended effect on community safety.
What is the local context for closure orders in Cumbria?
Closure orders have been used across Cumbria in recent months against both residential and commercial premises where authorities allege persistent criminal or anti-social conduct. In addition to the two Barrow homes, a retail unit on Dalton Road in Barrow, identified as Your Local, was shut for three months after a court issued a closure order over criminal activity, disorder and concerns about illicit tobacco and vapes, the North West Evening Mail reported.
A Cumbria Police spokesperson said at the time: “This action demonstrates our ongoing commitment to working with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour, reduce harm, and help keep our communities safe.”
Similar measures have been reported elsewhere in the UK. In Truro, Cornwall, a residential property was subject to a partial closure order in June 2026 before a magistrates’ court later imposed a full closure order from 2 September 2026 following further incidents of anti-social, threatening and nuisance behaviour, according to local radio reporting.
Housing providers have also worked with police to seek closure orders where tenancies are linked to serious anti-social behaviour. Hyde, a housing association, described one case in which customers reported noise nuisance, intimidation and concerns about drug-related activity, leading to a three-month closure order that gave neighbours “respite from the behaviour” while possession proceedings were pursued.
Background to the development
Closure orders derive from anti-social behaviour powers introduced to give police, local authorities and, in some cases, housing providers a rapid means of shutting down or restricting access to premises associated with persistent disorder, crime or nuisance. They are typically sought via magistrates’ courts and require evidence that the property is linked to criminal or anti-social conduct that is affecting the local area.
Partial orders are designed to balance enforcement with proportionality. By allowing existing occupants to remain but barring unauthorised visitors, they aim to disrupt criminal networks or problematic gathering points without immediately rendering residents homeless. Full closure orders, by contrast, prohibit all access and are generally reserved for more severe or intractable cases.
In Cumbria, recent use of closure orders has spanned residential addresses and retail premises, reflecting a broader strategy to address both street-level disorder and premises-based crime such as the sale of illicit goods. The Barrow orders on Newport Street and Pennine Gardens fit within this pattern, with police citing drug use, suspected dealing and violence as the core concerns.
Prediction: how could this affect residents and the wider Barrow community?
If the partial closure orders on Newport Street and Pennine Gardens achieve their intended effect, residents living near the two properties may experience a reduction in visible drug-related activity, violence and associated nuisance over the three-month period. Limiting access to named individuals can make it harder for external actors to use the addresses as hubs for dealing or disorder, potentially lowering footfall and confrontation in the immediate vicinity.
For lawful occupants, the orders could bring mixed effects. On one hand, reduced external traffic and fewer incidents may improve day-to-day safety and quality of life. On the other, the restrictions may complicate social visits, family support or care arrangements if friends or relatives are not on the approved list, and could increase scrutiny of the household by police and neighbours.
For the wider Barrow community, the visible use of closure orders may signal that authorities are acting on long-standing complaints, which could increase public confidence in local policing and encourage further reporting of anti-social behaviour. However, if underlying drivers such as drug supply, addiction or housing instability are not addressed in parallel, there is a risk that problems could shift to other addresses once the orders expire, a pattern seen in other areas where closure orders are used without sustained follow-up.
