The only cinema in West Lancashire could be shutdown thanks to the behaviour of "teenage tearaway yobs".
Sam Lavington, the owner of the Capitol Cinema in Skelmersdale, issued a stark warning that if nothing is done about the rampant anti-social behaviour in the area he will be forced to shut its doors for good. As a result of the outrage from people living in Skelmersdale, Lancashire's police commissioner has said a dedicated anti-social behaviour team will be introduced to combat "teenage tearaway yobs".
The cinema has proved a hit with people in the town since it opened last year thanks to its low prices for tickets and snacks. But despite the love it has been shown by the community, the business has faced seemingly endless problems with groups of young people causing disorder and damage.
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Frustrations with anti-social behaviour spread across the entire community, with the Concourse Shopping Centre being hit with the wave of crime and disorder as well.
Andrew Snowden, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), discussed the plan to set up and fund the ASB problem-solving command team after being challenged over more disorder and damage in Skelmersdale this weekend. Mr Snowden was called upon by West Lancashire councillor Neil Furey who said the problems were blighting the new town centre.
Similar frustration has surrounded a play area which suffered repeated damage and vandalism before it even opened. It has since also been affected by arson which led to increased police patrols. Addressing Mr Snowden, Cllr Furey acknowledged that the police had taken measures to tackle the problem but said "new and imaginative" answers are needed.
He wrote: "You will no doubt be aware of the continued problems with anti-social behaviour in Skelmersdale town centre being carried out by local teenage tearaway yobs. This weekend we have once again seen disorder with local yobs causing damage to our local Capitol cinema, located on the ground floor of Skelmersdale Concourse Shopping Centre.
"Over the weekend the owner of the cinema has publicly set out his anger with the continued ASB at the site which has been going on since the cinema opened. Furthermore, he has been very critical of the Police response and his staff have had to deal with this disorder with absolutely no support.
"The fed-up owner has also angered thousands of residents as because of this disorder he has announced he intends to close the cinema in January. I am sure you will agree with me that this is completely intolerable."
The concern for anti-social behaviour was also shown when Skem First, a local social media group, started a petition to raise awareness and hold the police to account when it comes to the prevention of the disorder in the town. The petition said: "Every week a large group of youths, both boys and girls congregate at the Concourse shopping centre and the Tawd Valley Centre and simply cause mayhem with their intimidating, destructive and often violent behaviour.
"Local businesses are suffering because of the conduct of these feral kids and local residents are scared to visit these places at night."
Clare Luard, who signed the petition, wrote: "There is a destructive element in Skelmersdale from what appears to be a gang of abusive and unruly teenagers being disruptive and causing problems at the concourse and surrounding area. The new cinema for which residents had waited decades is being particularly targeted by this youth, so much so that the owner has said that keeping it open is now untenable.
"McDonald's is also a target of this unacceptable behaviour which cannot and should not be tolerated by those offering a service to our town. This situation must be addressed as soon as possible."
Speaking to LancsLive, Mr Snowden said: "Getting tough on anti-social behaviour in all its forms is a top priority in my Fighting Crime Plan and is supported by hundreds of additional new police officers currently being recruited as part of the national Government uplift programme. The constabulary is also in the process of setting up a dedicated anti-social behaviour problem-solving command team, funded through my office.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: "We are working closely with our partners and businesses who have private security to tackle the long-term problems of anti-social behaviour. We are doing this through a number of targeted operations and increasing patrols in hotspot areas.
"Our neighbourhood officers regularly hold PACT (Police and Communities Together) meetings and we regularly meet with partner agencies to address community priorities and decide what will be done to tackle these.
"We understand that ASB can have a profound impact on victims. We do not tolerate it, and we will continue to do what we can to mitigate it in the local area. Anybody experiencing problems with anti-social behaviour is urged to contact their neighbourhood policing team on 101, or 999 in an emergency."
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