Discarded needles, fly tipping and vandalism take over former slaughterhouse in Devizes

The former slaughterhouse, on the corner of Coate Road and Windsor Drive, has long since been a spot for drug users and young people to carry out illicit activities away from prying eyes on the streets.

This week, images emerged of smashed bottles, drug needles and even animal carcasses littered across the building – which is on private land.

The needles are the result of a small number of drug users in the town, which charity and police officials are working together to help.

Michelle Rose is digital and partnership manager at Turning Point, Swindon & Wiltshire’s Active Recovery Service.

“We have a small cohort of drug users in Devizes,” she said. “Any number is not great of course, but we have a good relationship with them, and provide a needle exchange programme in Devizes to try reduce this number even more.”

Turning Point, which operates across the region, has unique challenges when reaching rural addicts.

She added: “In the rural areas it is difficult. When covid hit we had to reach people differently. Having virtual groups and online meetings has really helped clients a lot.

“When we first went into lockdown, it was strange for all of us to live in a way we never had before. We initially saw a lot of self referrals of opioid users, and we can all speculate as to why that was. Over lockdown, more and more of the referrals we received then were related to alcohol.

“Over the last year, our referrals – self and professional – are going up and up, which is a great thing as it means people are going into treatment. We have a vast area to cover in Wiltshire, but we have great partnership working.”

The market town’s proximity to the M4 corridor means more people are subject to cuckooing or County Lines operations – where city-based drug gangs target vulnerable people in more rural areas.

Michelle added: “When we know county lines is taking place, it’s about supporting those who are cuckooed and making sure they are in treatment.

“We’ve got the M4 corridor and a lot of Wiltshire places dotted on either side of that corridor. Some of our towns really are targeted, particularly Chippenham.”

The abandoned slaughterhouse previously belonged to Robert Douse & Son, and animals were kept in the field behind the building. It is now owned by Reeves Farm, in Westbury.

Matt Gale, of Reeves farm, said: “It is difficult to keep these people out, and it is getting worse. “We are thinking of getting some fences up around the building.”

The family are in the process of exploring planning opportunities for the abandoned slaughterhouse.

Sgt Gareth Edwards of the Devizes Community Policing Team said: “We are aware of some issues with anti-social behaviour in the area. We have carried out some extra patrols to tackle this and provide some community reassurance,” he added.

Fly tipping has also become increasingly worse at the former abattoir and Wiltshire Council has launched an investigation after a sofa was dumped at the site.

Noel Woolrych, who is running in the upcoming May elections, walks his dog near to the slaughterhouse, and reported the abandoned couch last week. It has since been removed by the council.

He said: “We live in a beautiful part of the country that is being blighted by “fly tipping” – the irresponsible dumping of waste. As a prospective councillor I would like to see a method of allowing better cooperation between landowner victims and Wiltshire Council to dispose of the waste.

"I would further encourage stiffer court penalties to deter fly tipping. Better access to recycling centres would also help.”

“If you spot any illegal activity around this site, we would urge you to report it to us on 101 with as much detail as possible. In an emergency, always call 999.”

Parvis Khansari, director of highways and environment at Wiltshire Council, has said a £200 reward is available to anyone with information on the fly-tipped sofa, which has now been removed.

He said: “Our officers are currently investigating this incident.

"If anyone has information about this fly-tipping, we would encourage them to contact us, as they could receive a reward of up to £200 if their information leads to a successful prosecution.

“People should not touch or investigate fly-tips they find, as the waste could be dangerous and they may hamper the investigation. The best thing someone can do if they find a fly-tip is report it to us using the MyWilts app and officers will investigate promptly.

“This incident has occurred on privately owned land and as such will need to be cleared up by the landowner.”