By Isabelle Bates
Bedding belonging to homeless people was removed from a location to deter them from sleeping there, police have said. It came after a derelict building in Dudley was boarded up in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB). The town centre property – which is next to Wetherspoons pub The Full Moon – was a hotbed for issues, according to West Midlands Police . READ MORE: Midland motorway crash leaves one dead after ‘report of injured person in road’ Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join A spokesperson said: “The rough sleepers had issues around substance abuse, mental health and poor hygiene. “Their presence was leading to gatherings and shoplifters congregating around this area and using the pub next door to sell stolen goods.” A public space protection order was put in place in a joint effort between police and council officers. The property was cleaned and boarded up and when homeless people tried to set up bedding elsewhere, this was removed. Council workers then offered the individuals accommodation. The police spokesperson added: “A derelict property in Dudley town centre recently became a hotspot for ASB, becoming an ideal shelter for homeless sleepers. “Through joint working and access to Council services, this area was soon cleaned and boarded up, preventing further access to this space. “Since boarding the area up, we have received positive feedback from locals and confirmation that they have not suffered from any issues since the space has been boarded up. “The rough sleepers attempted to move to another location but due to the joint patrols our officers were able to remove bedding and deter the homeless from causing the same issues. “The Council homeless team were then able to offer the rough sleeper鈥檚 accommodation.” Chris Pyke, neighbourhood policing supervisor, added: “The joint patrols have allowed our officers to quickly identify areas suffering from ASB and resolve the issues before they become a bigger problem for the public and local businesses. 鈥淲orking together enables us to understand each other鈥檚 specialist roles and then choose the most appropriate resource to tackle the issues.鈥