A flat in Hitchin has received a closure order following reports of suspected drug-related activity and antisocial behaviour.

The flat, in Bridge Street, will be closed for three months following the behaviour of the tenant and her associates, who were using the address.

Hertfordshire police officers received numerous complaints about the property, as did the housing association, Clarion Housing Group.

Clarion, the Hitchin Safer Neighbourhood Team at Herts police, and the North Herts Community Safety Unit, made an application for a closure order, which was approved at Stevenage Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, January 10. 

The temporary closure order was granted under Section 80 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and bans anyone, other than police or maintenance workers, from entering the property for a period of three months.

Jeannette Dallimore, senior ASB officer, said: “Officers were called to the address on numerous occasions due to reports of anti-social behaviour and suspected drug related activity and this behaviour was escalating.

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“Local residents should not have to put up with this kind of activity impacting on their daily lives in this way. I hope this has reassured the community that we take reports like this very seriously and along with our partners, have worked extremely hard to gather evidence to support the closure order application.

“We will use every available tactic to tackle anti-social behaviour and I would continue to urge members of the community to report any behaviour of this nature to the police.”

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, via web chat at herts.police.uk/contact, or by calling 101.

Alternatively, you can report information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.