TWO flats in Bournemouth have been closed down by the courts with visitors banned from entering them for three months.

BCP Council has worked with housing association and Dorset Police officers to take action in relation to Flat 1, 252 Holdenhurst Road and Flat 10 Hawkwood Mews, 42 Hawkwood Road.

The local authority took the matter to court in an attempt to secure closure orders as they attempted to address issues of “serious drug related nuisance and disorder” linked to the properties.

Both cases, which were not linked to each other, were dealt with in separate hearings at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Friday, June 24.

The bench granted the request to close the flats for a period of three months.

The partial closure orders mean access to the properties is prohibited to any person except the resident and support agencies

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “This is a good example of agencies working in partnership to protect victims of nuisance and disorder.

“We will always use the tools and powers available to us and we hope by obtaining this order, it shows we will act on issues raised by residents to reduce anti-social behaviour in our communities.”

The local authority confirmed the address in Holdenhurst Road, Springbourne, involved work with police, while the address in Hawkwood Road, Boscombe, saw cooperation with the force and Sovereign Housing Association.

The closure orders were made under section 80 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The law states that the order can be made if the court is satisfied that a person has engaged or is likely to engage in disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour on the premises, or the use of the premises has resulted or is likely to result in serious nuisance to members of the public, or there has been or is likely to be disorder near those premises associated with the use of those premises.

Closure orders can only be made for a period of three months. If the authorities wish to prolong the closure period they must go back to the courts with a new application.

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