POLICE USE "CRACK HOUSE" LAWS IN BID TO EVICT TENANT

TENANTS in a flat that has been raided twice in a crackdown on drug
users face being made homeless after police applied to close the property.

Officers swooped on the bedsit in Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, late
this afternoon after a string of complaints by neighbours.

Police chiefs have applied for a closure order under powers provided
by the new Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 to shut down so-called
"crack houses".

Nobody was at the premises when police arrived, so officers taped the
notice of their intent on the door.

If magistrates approve the application at a hearing on Wednesday, when
police will present them with evidence of nuisance connected to drug
use and supply, the tenants will be evicted and the flat will be sealed up.

It would be only the second time the powers have been used in
Bolton.

Insp Tony Kenyon said: "We don't apply for closure orders
lightly.

"They are a last resort when we have exhausted all avenues to address
criminal activity associated to a particular property.

"I want to reassure residents today that when they tell us about
problems in their community, we will act quickly to make sure they
don't suffer any longer that they need to.

"A series of raids targeting the homes of suspected dealers in recent
weeks highlights our commitment to tackling the scourge of drugs."

Police raided the flat on August 9 and found drug paraphernalia - but
no arrests were made.

Residents have continued to complain about noise late at
night.

The tenant, a woman in her 40s has been warned she faces eviction
after the court hearing.

The notice bans anybody who does not live at the flat from entering
until the court hearing and police said they would arrest anybody who
tried to do so.

In May 2005, police closed a bail hostel in Marlborough Street,
Halliwell, after it became a magnet for drug users and criminals.