A HOUSE which has been linked to drug dealing and anti-social behaviour has been shut down by police.

Cheshire Police were granted a closure order on the property on Suffolk Street in Runcorn at Warrington Magistrates Court yesterday, Wednesday.

The force has recently received a ‘large number of reports’ of drug dealing and anti-social behaviour on the premises.

Neighbours raised concerns about people ‘coming and going at all hours’, while the occupants are said to have been verbally abusive to members of the public in the street.

Officers have also been called out to reports of violence at the address.

The court order means that it will be a criminal offence to enter the home for the next three months.

Police constable Andy Maskall, of the force’s Runcorn problem solving team, said: “The behaviour of people inside and outside the house in Suffolk Street has caused those living in nearby properties significant alarm, harassment and distress over a sustained period of time.

“The successful application for the closure order will no doubt give them instant relief and respite.

“This house and those linked to it have plagued the local community – officers have attended the address on numerous occasions to deal with reports of drug dealing, assaults, threats, verbal abuse, loud music being played late at night and more.

“No-one should have to put up with such things in their neighbourhood.

“We will use the full remit of the law to ensure that they don’t have to, as this case shows – it is another example of our commitment to targeting those who undermine our communities through unacceptable behaviour.

“I have no doubt that the closure order will have a positive impact on the area, and I want to thank the members of the public who played a vital role in this.

“The information they supplied was crucial in us gathering the evidence needed to secure the order – I hope this case encourages others to report and give statements regarding such behaviour at properties they live near, they can rest assured that we will do something about it.

“I hope that the action we have taken provides reassurance to Runcorn residents and serves as a warning to others who incorrectly think that they can persistently make their neighbours’ lives a misery through unacceptable behaviour.”