Children aged 12 'among Middlesbrough drug den customers'

The house on Selbourne Street has been boarded up by the authorities

Children as young as 12 were among the customers of a town centre drug den, a council has said.

The den in a Middlesbrough house has been shut down by authorities, the local council said.

Cleveland Police received more than 20 reports of "blatant drug dealing" and fights in the street between June and November.

The force said a man and woman were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and released under investigation.

The house on Selbourne Street was boarded up on Tuesday, with a closure order in place for three months.

Police found cannabis and methadone when they raided the home in November and December, having received reports of people "calling for cannabis and pills around the clock", the council said.

Police had also been told of "drug dealers fighting with weapons - bats and poles - in the street".

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: "There's no place in our communities for the sort of people who peddle fear, misery and addiction."