A POLICE blitz on drug-dealers has stepped up a gear with the closure of four crack houses.

The latest addresses to be targeted were in the Gresham and North Ormesby areas of Middlesbrough, after magistrates granted court orders to board-up the properties.

The move comes on the back of a massive operation launched in September to rid the town of the problem.

Community Police Inspector Geoff Bush, of Cleveland Police, said the battle against drug dealers will be relentless, as officers try to rid the town of the scourge of crack cocaine.

"These raids and closure notices will be on going," he said.

"We are determined to stamp out the problem.

"We are taking action against anyone suspected of dealing in drugs and these people will be prosecuted.

"Some of these properties that were boarded up, have been raided on a couple of occasions and we will continue to target them. The residents need reassurance that the police are serious about tackling the problem, and closing down crack houses is a very effective way of doing it.

"These latest closures are a follow-up to the crack down that was launched a couple of months ago and there will be more to follow."

Two properties in Warren Street were boarded up and closed down for three months, one in Essex Street was closed for one month - all in the Gresham area. An address in Norcliffe Street, North Ormesby, was also closed for three months.

One resident of Warren Street said: "There has been a problem around here for a long time, but at least it looks like something is finely being done to sort it out.

"We will just have to wait and see if these closures have any effect. Often the drug dealers are moved on but they soon come back or are replaced by someone else."

The launch of the operation in September saw more than 300 officers carrying out dawn raids across to the town, after police chiefs claimed Middlesbrough was the hub of crack cocaine dealing.

During the three-day purge, 75 arrests were made and drugs, money and vehicles seized.