A suspected drugs den on a north London housing estate was shut down last week after housing officers worked with police to obtain a closure order.

Officers at Hackney council liaised with the residents of Pitcairn House to build up evidence that the flat was being used as a crack house. Magistrates heard there had been many callers to the flat and people had been found drunk or drugged in lifts and communal stairwells. Some were sleeping rough in the block and discarded needles were found.

The court imposed a closure order, which means a suspected crack house can be closed for up to three months.

“This is a good example of what we can do when we work with the police,” said Steve Tucker, Hackney’s director of housing.

A council spokeswoman said it would try to help the tenant get drug rehabilitation so they could stay in the flat. But if the treatment was not successful, Hackney would evict the tenant when the order expired.

The operation was led by Hackney’s Crackdown team, set up with Home Office funding.

Source

Housing Today