Stockton Council have secured a closure order for a house after multiple complaints of 'intimidating' and anti-social behaviour.

The case was brought before Teesside Magistrates' Court on January 16.

The court heard that heard that residents living near the property on Arlington Street, Stockton, were fed up with constant visitors to the property who arrived at all times of the day and night on foot, in cars and taxis.

Witnesses spoke about how scores of people attend the house regularly to purchase drugs.

The transactions were usually made through the letterbox of the property but on occasions via an open first floor window where the occupants would lower a bottle down to the ground using a rope which was then pulled back up once money had been placed in the bottle.

Residents regularly saw fights, people wearing balaclavas and there was frequent urinating in public.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, in partnership with Cleveland Police, secured a Closure Order on the property, which will now be inaccessible to anyone for three months. 

Councillor Norma Stephenson, the Council's Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, said: "Long term residents of the street have told us that the character of the street has changed in the past year 'from a good place to live to somewhere that's changed for the worse.

"This is not acceptable. People have an absolute right to live their lives in peace and not be scared to leave their own homes or to walk down their own street.

"I hope this closure order sends the message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in our communities.  

"I'd like to thank our Civic Enforcement Officers and ward councillors for their hard work and dedication to help secure the closure order alongside the local policing team."

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Chief Inspector Dan Heron of Stockton's Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said: "This is joint working at its best. The community give us intelligence in confidence and together the police and the council work to secure a closure order which allows us to shut the house down.

"No street should suffer due to crime or anti-social behaviour. If you would like to report something to the police, please call us on 101 so we can act on it.

"Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously at Crimestoppers website or by phone on 0800 555 111."