Croydon Council has had a closure order against the owner of a car garage, in Thornton Heath, extended for a further three months to protect residents.
As part of the Executive Mayor of Croydon’s zero-tolerance crackdown on antisocial behaviour, the Council applied for the initial closure order in May. Following reports that the garage has continued to cause problems for residents, the Council applied to extend the order.
The garage has been the source of ongoing antisocial behaviour linked to its owner, Mr Mohammed Chaudhry. Issues included dangerous and untaxed vehicles obstructing the highway and pavement, carrying out vehicle repairs on the road, damaging paving and road surfaces, and causing repeated noise nuisance.
There were also reports of drains being blocked with used oil and other materials, alongside incidents of verbal abuse, threatening and intimidating behaviour, and ongoing annoyance, disturbance and distress to residents, members of the public and other road users.
The Premises Closure Order for the garage at 187 Parchmore Road will now be in place until at least 6 October 2026. The Council will seek further action against Mr Chaudhry, if he continues to work in or around the premises.
Prior to the initial closure order, Mr Chaudhry was issued several warnings, two Community Protection Notices, and Fixed Penalty Notices, which he failed to comply with or pay.
Closure orders are subject to legal time limits set by the courts and breaching the order is a criminal offence and can result in further enforcement action/fine or prison sentence.
“Despite the original closure order secured in May, Mr Chaudhry has continued working from the premises. Council officers returned to court and successfully secured a further three-month closure.
“We have zero tolerance for this kind of antisocial behaviour and will not hesitate to take further enforcement action to protect residents.
“We will continue to act where we have evidence and use all the powers available to us to clamp down on illegal operations and antisocial behaviour to restore pride across Croydon.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
