Anti-social behaviour linked to mystery overnight removal of Mexborough's Chapel steps seating

A BENCH reportedly frequented by problem street drinkers – including one of stripped off in public – has been uprooted and removed in the middle of the night.

The seat at the top of Mexborough’s Chapel Steps is understood to have been a magnet for anti-social behaviour for some time.

Photos circulated on social media show one man apparently asleep on the bench at the bottom of West View Road, while another was pictured almost totally naked.

Mexborough councillor Sean Gibbons said it appeared the nuisance had driven one resident so far to distraction that they had taken matters into their own hands.

“In the lead up to this happening, there were four or five of them laid out,” he said.

“This sort of thing has been going on in the daylight for a while.

“Unfortunately, people don't tend to report things to the police and the council as they should.

“I think someone's probably got a relative living nearby and suddenly, probably in the dark hours, the bench disappeared. “Somebody has just pulled it out and just removed it completely.

“People have been saying on Facebook that it’s a lot of fuss about a bench but you come back to the fact that this is because of the street drinkers.

“So what we’re doing is now pursuing with the council and police to get a public space protection order bak, to actually enable the police to remove alcohol from the street drink because otherwise we're going to remove all the benches in Mexborough.

“At the end of the day, there's a wider issue here which you can report on this antisocial behaviour that needs dealing with because people talk about it in a town centre but hardly anybody reports it to the police or council online.

Anti-social behaviour can be reported to the police on 101 and Doncaster Council on 01302 736000.

Doncaster Council were approached for comment.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the removal of a bench from a street in Mexborough, Doncaster, and police are working with local partners in a bid to identify those responsible.

"Police and partners are also aware that the local community has raised concerns about street drinking and associated antisocial behaviour, and we know it can have a detrimental impact on residents and businesses in the area.

“While drinking on the street is not a criminal offence, any subsequent crime committed – which may range from ASB to public order, to violence and disorder - will be investigated and we and partner agencies will respond appropriately.”