A TENANT has been evicted from his Widnes home following a stabbing.

Halton Housing Trust and Cheshire Police were successful today in issuing a closure order at 3a Wordsworth Avenue which has been plagued by anti-social behaviour.

The property has been closed due to a stabbing incident which on May 9.

Mark Harvey, tenancy services manager at Halton Housing Trust, said: “The events that took place on Tuesday night are totally unacceptable.

“Halton Housing will take whatever action is necessary in such cases to secure the safety of local residents.

“We operate a zero-tolerance approach towards this type of behaviour as part of our efforts in preventing incidents wherever possible.

“Unfortunately, we are aware that knife related crimes are a growing concern on a national level causing the police to escalate their efforts, including the use of stop and search powers.”

The trust says the tenant, who has now been evicted for at least three months, has also been linked to drug related behaviour at the property.

The trust will continue to investigate the man's tenancy.

Despite the seriousness of the crime, no anti-social behaviour reports had been made to the trust prior to the stabbing incident.

The housing association urges anybody who witnesses or suspects serious crimes in their neighbourhood or community to report them as soon as possible.

Mr Harvey added: “We have been working closely with Cheshire Police to support a closure order for 3a Wordsworth Avenue.

“The resulting closure order sends out a strong message to local residents that we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in our homes and communities."

The property will now be boarded up for at least three months. Anyone who enters the property during this time is committing an offence, and could be arrested for trespassing.