Rochdale Borough Council held a successful week of action with a crackdown on illegal trading, unlicensed accommodation, and property standards in Rochdale town centre.
Operation Tetbury brought together the council’s housing enforcement service, Trading Standards, environmental health service, benefit fraud team, and community safety team, with support from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Electricity North West (ENW), to carry out property inspections in Rochdale town centre.
Over 60 unannounced visits took place, with properties found in breach of numerous health and safety codes and property laws. Some properties were found hosting unlicensed accommodation and 2 premises on Yorkshire Street were closed by trading standards for trading illicit tobacco.
Council teams also found tampered meters and fire code violations, with one business on Yorkshire Street having their electricity cut off by ENW after it was deemed unsafe.
Illegal accommodation and housing violations were also a major issue that teams responded to. Random checks by the council’s housing enforcement team looked for properties hosting unlicensed accommodation and rental properties that were of a poor standard.
In one case, a business on Yorkshire Street was found to have a hidden doorway obstructed by shop merchandise and bin bags, leading to a set of rental properties above the business. The rental accommodation was referred to the council’s planning enforcement team for follow-up action.
The council’s community safety team also increased their patrols across the town centre, tackling antisocial behaviour issues with support from GMP. The team also continued their outreach work, hosting information stalls and speaking with visitors to the town centre.
Lianne Davies, assistant director of public health and communities, said:
“The borough has so much to offer and residents and visitors deserve to feel pride in the community. The Operation Tetbury enforcement activities are another example of the council and its partners successfully collaborating to make our borough an even better place to live, work and visit.”
Meena Yasin, Inspector for Rochdale North Neighbourhood Team, said:
"We have established a really strong partnership response between GMP and Rochdale Borough Council to make Rochdale town centre safe and welcoming for everyone. We look forward to continuing this partnership and delivering the objectives of Operation Tetbury."
Operation Tetbury brings together the council, GMP, Rochdale Business Improvement District, Rochdale Development Agency, local businesses and services, and the community themselves, to keep the town centre safe and enhance its reputation as an area to visit and invest in.