FAMILIES living near a Dudley property where a teenager's body was found have spoken of their relief at seeing the nuisance hostel closed down.

The body of 17-year-old Megan Bills from Stourbridge was discovered in a cling film-wrapped wardrobe in the multi-occupancy home in Highgate Road.

Two houses had been split into four flats to form the hostel - which supported people who had recently left prison and were on probation – but following the grim discovery last month neighbours issued desperate pleas for it to be shut down.

Their prayers were answered when the tenants left shortly after Gurbinder Singh Sadhra, who owns the property, terminated his contract with Pathways - an organisation which provides accommodation and one-to-one support for ex-offenders, homeless and those at risk of offending.

Rich Young, the long-suffering next door neighbour, said the street had been "peaceful" since the hostel closed down.

He continued: "I don't see it as a victory as such, it should never have been used for what it was used for. By putting them all into a melting pot, something was going to happen and unfortunately it did.”

But residents have now been left wondering who their new neighbours will be after seeing a ‘to let’ sign go up on the building which Mr Sadhra intends to now let out as bedsits.

Mr Young told the News: "I just hope we get some decent, normal people move in and it's not a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Neighbour Abdul Wahid said he was “happy” the hostel had been shut down, adding: “I feel like the residents' voices have finally been heard.

"It shows that if people get together, they are stronger and things can be done.

"It should never have been there in the first place, it wasn't fit for purpose. They were always fighting, there were too many people in there and they didn't always get on with each other.

"A couple of times the police had to come out and the ambulance.

"There was also a lot of noise, they would shout in the street and there was a lot of drug dealing going on."

Mr Sadhra has moved to assure neighbours that things will soon be "back to normal" and he added: "There were concerns from our side as well. I didn't think that property was suitable for that business any more. We found it difficult, we suffered financial loss and the dilapidation of the property."

Unemployed Ashley Foster has been charged with preventing the burial of former Ridgewood High School pupil Megan, without lawful excuse, between April 16 and May 4 this year.

The 24-year-old, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody and was due to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court tomorrow (Wednesday).