Heywood tenant evicted after homophobic abuse, drug use and electricity tampering

Wednesday, 30 July 2025 18:15

By David Murphy

A tenant in Heywood has been evicted after a series of serious anti-social and criminal offences, including homophobic abuse, drug use in communal areas, and illegal tampering with an electricity meter.

Mark Worsley, formerly of 6 Beverley in the Angel Meadow area, was removed from his home by court order on 24 July following a legal application by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).

The housing provider says it was left with no choice but to seek eviction after numerous complaints dating back to September 2023. Reports from neighbours described visitors using and discarding needles in shared spaces, loud and aggressive behaviour, homophobic slurs, and deliberate damage to doors and windows.

RBH also discovered that Worsley had tampered with the electricity meter and used a petrol-powered generator inside the flat, posing a significant fire and safety risk to other residents.

An initial court injunction had been secured in May 2024, supported by Greater Manchester Police, in an effort to curb Worsley's behaviour. The two-year order banned further disruption at the property, but the problems reportedly continued, prompting RBH to escalate the case to possession proceedings.

Speaking after the eviction, Hayley Stockham, director of neighbourhood services at RBH, said: “This customer has put himself and his neighbours at serious risk of harm, and caused unacceptable levels of nuisance for those who live around him.

“We will not tolerate this behaviour, and this case demonstrates that we will take whatever action is necessary to keep our customers and our neighbourhoods safe.”

Inspector Graham Cooke from GMP’s Rochdale policing team also welcomed the outcome: “This is a really positive result for the people living in the Angel Meadow area who should not be expected to tolerate anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood.”

He added: “Our local policing teams take a proactive, problem-solving approach alongside partners to tackle the issues that matter most to communities. Of course, we can’t achieve outcomes like this without the support of the public.”

Residents can report criminal activity to Greater Manchester Police online or by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency. Anonymous tips can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Anti-social behaviour can also be reported directly to RBH at www.rbh.org.uk/asb or by calling 0800 027 7769.