OCCUPANTS of a house in Worcester have been thrown out following issues of anti-social behaviour, including reports of drug offences and violence.

Magistrates at Worcester Magistrates Court approved a closure order under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 for a house in Rose Avenue, Tolladine. This means that that it is a criminal offence for anyone to enter the property, unless authorised by the police for a three month period.

West Mercia Police, on behalf of the Gorsehill and Rainbow Hill Safer Neighbourhood Team, applied for the order to address concerns around anti-social behaviour and give neighbours respite from continued issues.

The order was served to occupants of the address preventing them from entering the premises until August 10 2018.

Sergeant Simon Hallam said: “West Mercia Police remain committed to working with the community to make the area a safer and better place to live. “We would therefore like to remind residents that as the householder, they are responsible for the activity of the residents at their own address and also for the behaviour of persons attending their address.”

Following the order, residents took to social media to voice their opinions.

Commenting on the Worcester News Facebook page, Alison Hodges said: “Ok- but where do they go now?”

Posting on the Worcester News website, user Darkday said: “Surely all this is doing is moving the problem somewhere else not solving anything.”

Previously, the Worcester News reported how youths were ‘terrorising’ the neighbourhood and causing trouble near a rundown row of shops in Rose Avenue, in Tolladine.

Many of the shops are empty - as the area is due to undergo a major revamp - but residents say the boarded-up shops have become a breeding ground for antisocial behaviour.

We reported how four new shops and four homes would replace a number of closed-down businesses last August.

However, nine months later, the estimated £1.7m project, put forward by the land owner Fortis, remains on hold. Five businesses have already shut their doors or moved elsewhere, leaving only three working shops left.

Police UK crime data shows West Mercia Police recorded 54 crimes in and around Rose Avenue, out of 150 crimes in the Gorse Hill and Rainbow Hill neighbourhood.

One of the most serious incidents involved a fire in a suspected drugs den above a closed Italian takeaway last year.