Home closure will give residents some respite

Those who live in the area have been driven to distraction, having been subjected to a string of anti-social behaviour incidents.

They have witnessed suspicious people visiting the address day and night, fights have been heard and blood has been found in the stairwells of the property.

Now the borough council has closed the property – at least until June – by the housing team with the support of the Neighbourhood Policing Team because of the criminal behaviour.

The order shows that by working together it is possible to rid, bit by bit, of the undesirables who blight our communities.

Members of the public were brave enough in the first place to report to police incidents of criminal behaviour.

And joined-up thinking and action by the police and the council has paid dividends – and the courts have now delivered by granting the order.

The council and police are pleased by the outcome, with Chief Inspector Sharon Woolrich saying: ‘I’m pleased that this closure order has been granted by the court, which has recognised the serious impact of drug-related anti-social behaviour on the surrounding residents of Turner Avenue.’

While Gosport Borough Council leader Mark Hook added: ‘This is a great result for our housing team working in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Policing Team and a good exmple of partnership working in the community.’

But while the property at Turner Avenue has been dealt with at least in the short term there are no doubt many more addresses where such behaviour continues to adversely affect the lives of nearby residents.