A drug den that plagued a Middlesbrough community has been hit with a powerful closure order.
The semi-detached property on Frampton Green in Park End had become a magnet for drug use and antisocial behaviour, making life a misery for those living nearby.
Neighbouring properties suffered numerous thefts, with residents reporting regular violence and disorder, including targeted reprisal attacks against the tenant.
Those living nearby reported feeling afraid to leave their homes because of the violence and because they feared being burgled.
One resident even described covertly loading holiday luggage into their car so the tenant did not know their property would be unoccupied.
Working closely with Thirteen Housing Group and Cleveland Police, Middlesbrough Council sought a Closure Order against the property in response to the concerns raised by residents.
Taking the action contributes to one of the Council’s four priorities of creating safe and resilient communities.
When the application was heard by Teesside Magistrates on Friday (July 19), the court granted the order for a minimum of three months and ordered the tenant to pay court costs of £1,091.
Thirteen Housing Group are also in the process of taking tenancy action against the tenant to prevent him returning to the property at the end of the order.
Welcoming the closure, Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “After a recent visit to the area it become clear to me that this property was a blight on the local community.
“Law-abiding residents have an absolute right to live free from drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and violence, and this case shows we’re firmly on their side.
“This property and those frequenting it have made life a misery for the local community, but I pay tribute to all the courageous residents who came forward and said ‘enough is enough’.
“With the invaluable support of our partners at Thirteen and Cleveland Police and working alongside residents, we’ve been able to shut this property down and give the area back to the local community.
“This sort of behaviour has no place in Middlesbrough, and with the support of the public we will do everything in our power to stamp it out.”
Thirteen’s head of housing services Katina Lytra said: “It’s our priority to ensure our customers feel safe in their home and within the community where they live. We won’t tolerate our homes being used for crime and antisocial behaviour.
“We’re pleased the closure order has been granted for one of Thirteen’s homes and that we’ve obtained a civil injunction, which includes an exclusion zone to prevent the resident entering Frampton Green and Kirkland Walk.
“If the tenant does enter these areas, he can be arrested by a police officer and brought before the next available court. So, we hope that the local community feel reassured that we have taken action.
“We’ll continue to work in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and Cleveland Police to reduce antisocial behaviour and crime in our communities.”
Acting Inspector Dan Oldroyd, from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Closure orders are one of many effective tools we can use to move people out and stop them causing misery for law-abiding members of society who are just going about their day-to-day business.
“We urge anyone suffering in their community as a result of others’ behaviour to contact us, so that we can work together with our partners to resolve the issues.”