A property in Widnes plagued by anti-social behavior has been issued with a Closure Order.

Halton Housing Trust and Cheshire Police were successful in issuing a Closure Order at 3a Wordsworth Avenue, Widnes on Thursday 19th May, 2017. The property has been closed due to a stabbing incident which took place on Tuesday 9^th May. The tenant, who has now been evicted from the property for at least three months, and will continue to have his tenancy investigated by Halton Housing has also been linked to drug related behavior in the property. Despite the seriousness of the crime, no anti-social behavior reports had been made to Halton Housing prior to the stabbing incident. The housing association urge anybody who witnesses or suspects serious crimes are taking place in their neighborhood, or community to report them to Halton Housing as soon as possible.

Mark Harvey, Tenancy Services Manager at Halton Housing said:

‘The events that took place on Tuesday night are totally unacceptable. Halton Housing will take whatever action is necessary in such cases to secure the safety of local residents. We operate a zero-tolerance approach towards this type of behavior as part of our efforts in preventing incidents wherever possible’.

‘We have been working closely with Cheshire Police to support a closure order for 3a Wordsworth Avenue. The resulting closure order sends out a strong message to local residents that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our homes and communities’

Inspector Chris Adkins, of Cheshire Police said in relation to this Closure Order:

‘Anti- Social behavior and drug dealing or use can have a real impact on the community causing fear among those affected’

‘My team will continue to take action against those who are a blight on the community and will use all the powers available to prevent anti-social behavior and drug dealing or use.  I want to thank the local community who assisted us with this latest closure, and if you are in a similar situation, I would encourage you to speak to us so we can help improve the quality of life in your area.’

The property will now be boarded up for at least three months. Anybody who enters the property during this time is committing an offence, and could be arrested for trespassing.

If you would like to report anti-social behavior in your area to Halton Housing, you can do so quickly, easily and 24 hours a day via the customer app.