A FLAT that became a magnet for drug and alcohol abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour has been closed down.

Officers at Middlesbrough Council closed down the apartment above shops in Eastbourne Road after finding evidence of tenants and visitors urinating on the landing, discarding drugs paraphernalia outside, causing criminal damage, thefts and verbally abusing people in the area.

The situation was so bad that Teesside Magistrates Court granted a Closure Order to the council on Tuesday (August 18) - the first time such an order has ever been granted in Middlesbrough.

The flat will be sealed for at least three months.

Complaints from nearby businesses about the property, let by Darlington-based Ssertrof Property Management Ltd, were first made in June, 2014 and the tenant was repeatedly warned by the council and Cleveland Police but the situation did not improve.

Council officers told the court they found the premises in a terrible state of disrepair with no running water and hardly any furniture and an ‘overwhelming’ smell of urine.

Following an incident in a shop below the flat in June, a water pipe was opened, flooding the store, causing considerable damage and destroying a large quantity of stock. In another incident in the same shop just four days later, a female visitor to the flat stole items, smashed a glass pane in the entrance door when challenged and threatened staff.

As recently as last week a 59-year-old man fell from the window of the flat, and subsequently grappled with a paramedic who had attended the scene to treat him and head-butted the ambulance.

Middlesbrough council neighbourhood safety officer Alison Riley said: “The tenant of this flat and his associates persistently engaged in disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour, resulting in a considerable number of complaints from numerous residents and businesses.

“This Closure Order will offer residents, businesses and the general public respite from the nuisance and disorder that have blighted this property for many months.”

Cllr Mick Thompson, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for communities and public health, said: “Everyone has a right to live in their community free from nuisance, harassment and anti-social behaviour.

“I welcome this action and the support shown by the court for the council’s application for a Closure Order which has been undertaken in partnership with Cleveland Police.

“I am confident this will dramatically improve the quality of life for other law-abiding residents.

“It should also act as reassurance to others suffering similar problems, and encourage them to come forward in the knowledge that action will be taken.”

Middlesbrough Council was granted a Closure Order under the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.