Partners in Workington are continuing to work together to keep The Line safe and welcoming following an initial project to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the area.
The project received £47, 875 from a successful bid by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to the Home Office’s Safer Streets Round Five fund in 2023. Partners including Cumberland Council, Cumbria Constabulary, Remedi, The Well Communities, the Morgan Sindall Group, Castles and Coasts housing association, Westfield Housing Association, Home Group and Tivoli worked together to rejuvenate The Line to reduce ASB and VAWG. The Line was highlighted as a hotspot following consultation with women between 16–20-year old’s on where they felt unsafe in their local communities and why. The feedback highlighted that the path was overgrown with low visibility, littered and generally uninviting, especially at night.
The funding helped cut back vegetation to increase visibility and reduce any hiding spots for potential offenders, support community litter picks and larger fly-tipping issues were dealt with. Local schools created signage and QR codes encouraging reporting of suspicious behaviour, criminal activity or general issues to the Police and Council. Graffiti was cleaned up and a professional muralist, Beard Synergy, with young people in the area to create artwork that creates the illusion of a country walk in an urban area. The project was finalised in May 2024.
In April 2025, as part of a follow up to the project, Allerdale Local Focus Hub led a ‘Community Clear Up’ day to reach out to the community to ask for feedback, clean up the local area and take action to address any issues raised by residents. Alongside original partners, Groundwork Trust and Workington Foundation and local residents joined in on the day. Over 50 bags of rubbish were collected. The art wall at the beginning of The Line is continually evolving with the work of local artists Beard Synergy and Twiggy with 11 months passing without any graffiti. The team received positive feedback on the day from residents with perception around ASB and drug-related activity dropping in the area – the main issue reported was littering. Along The Line and the areas surrounding The Line, Cumbria Constabulary have seen a decrease by 5.6% in relation to VAWG offences (217 down to 205 reports) and a decrease in ASB by 32.7% (55 down to 37 reports) compared to the same period the year before. There has been an increase in drug offences by 64% (25 reports up from 16).
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “I’m incredibly pleased to see partners and volunteers continuing to take care of The Line following on from the Safer Streets Five funding.
“We all deserve to live in a welcoming and safer community and by working together we can ensure everyone can continue to enjoy the area around us.
“The statistics and public feedback clearly highlight that simple steps can have a dramatic effect on criminality and ASB in our communities.
“Although the rise in drugs reports may seem negative, it means that the public are reporting more which is always encouraged. The more reports we receive, the more resource can be provided to tackle the issues that are important to our residents.
“Thank you to all the volunteers, artists and partners for their dedication and commitment to keeping The Line tidy – 11 months without graffiti is a fantastic achievement and proves that by investing in our communities, people start to take pride in where they live, comma making it a better place to stay.”
Allerdale Local Focus Hub Manager, Emma Thompson, said: “We are pleased to see that partners are continuing to work together to make The Line a place that our communities can continue to take care of, enjoy and feel safe.
“The feedback remains positive since the initial project started and we are pleased that the initial issues raised have reduced and we will continue to encourage residents to report anti-social behaviour.”
Allerdale Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Steven Waddell said “It’s great to see that partners continue to see positive feedback following the continuous work to clean-up The Line.
“One of the main issues highlighted to police was anti-social behaviour which we are pleased to see has decreased. We have seen a slight increase in reported drug offences, and I anticipate this increase is due to increased reporting and police activity in the area.
“We encourage anyone to report any issue to ourselves and our partners so that it remains a safe space for our communities to enjoy.”
Cumberland Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Communities, Cllr Justin McDermott, said: “I’m delighted to see the continued success of this project. It really shows the great things we can do when we work together, and I hope to see further projects like this across all of Cumberland.
“Safety is the bedrock of our communities and Cumberland Council will continue to work with partners to deliver meaningful action to reduce antisocial behaviour, crime, and particularly violence against women and girls.”
If you wish to report to police you can do so online at Report a crime | Cumbria Police. You can also phone on 101. Always phone 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress.