'Foul smelling' home shut amid fights and threats

No-one will have access to the property for three months

A house where anti-social behaviour and suspected drug-dealing took place has been shut down.

Teesside Magistrates' Court heard that witnesses had reported fighting, noise and “horrendous” foul odours coming from the Thornaby property.

One neighbour saw a man chasing another out of the Teesdale Terrace home with a large knife and heard threats to kill from inside the house.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council said the sense of community in the street had "gone downhill" because of anti-social behaviour.

On Thursday, the court was told residents felt scared to leave their homes.

Some were already in poor health with significant medical issues that were not helped by the behaviour at the property, the court heard.

Others said they struggled to sleep at night and put background sound on to drown out the noise from the house.

The council and Cleveland Police secured a Closure Order on the property, which will not be accessible to anyone for three months.

Anti-social behaviour and suspected drug dealing took place at the home

Carolyn Nice, the Council's Director of Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said: “As well as the impact on their health, residents in this street told us there had been a strong sense of community which had since gone downhill due to the anti-social behaviour at this property.

“It’s unacceptable that people live in fear in their own homes."

Insp Dan Heron, from Stockton’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, urged people facing similar problems to keep providing information, adding: “Residents should not have to put up with criminality occurring in their neighbourhood."