A 'NUISANCE home' in Blacon that had caused neighbours to "live in fear" has been boarded up by police after officers successfully secured a closure order.

Magistrates granted the order during a hearing in Chester this morning after hearing about issues associated with the property at 65, Hatton Road.

Closure orders stop people entering a property for a period of three months. They are part of a raft of new measures available to police under anti-social behaviour legislation introduced in 2014.

The occupant of the home, Carl Tushingham, did not contest the order. Two other tenants lived at the address.

Prosecutor Erin Brass told the court that police had received numerous complaints from neighbours and antisocial behaviour had become “a serious nuisance to the public”.

Upon securing the order, she added: “I’m sure the residents of Hatton Road will be grateful.”

PC Joe Duckworth, local beat manager for Blacon, said: “The closure of this address is in response to the persistent and repeated calls Cheshire Police have received over a number of years.

"Neighbours have been living in fear and without peace in their own homes because of the anti-social behaviour of the occupants. This involvement in criminality attracts unsavoury characters to the area which causes further nuisance and worry to those residents.

“The occupants of this address repeatedly make other people’s lives a misery and in response we have acted. I am glad the court agreed with our concerns and I sincerely hope that this closure will give respite for those residents suffering from the actions of the occupants.

“We will not hesitate to use this legislation again in the future and those involved in persistent anti-social behaviour should be very aware of the potential risk of losing their home.”