House on Barningham Street in Darlington closed by Durham Police

Durham Police said the property, on Barningham Street, had caused issues for residents and had been closed after Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team worked closely Darlington Borough Council (DBC) to secure a property closure order on the house.

They said the address had "blighted" the community with both antisocial behaviour and "repeated drug taking," and had seen streams of visitors at all hours of the day.

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The closure order means the house has now been boarded up and will remain closed for the next three months.

Speaking on this, Neighbourhood Inspector Dean Haythornthwaite said: “Nobody should have to live in fear in their own home because of the selfish and reckless actions of other individuals – this is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it.

“Our team has worked tirelessly with Darlington Borough Council to secure this order and I hope it offers some well-deserved relief to the residents of this street.

“People have a right to live peacefully in their own homes, so we will always take action when people’s quality of life is being adversely affected by the actions of certain individuals.”

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Those found to have breached the order can be arrested, fined, or imprisoned for up to 51 weeks.

According to police, a hearing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court this week heard that the house was the centre of repeated drug taking and disturbances which resulted in several calls being made to police.

If you have concerns about drug activity in your area, information can be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org