IT took Magistrates just three minutes to agree to a three month closure order but it had taken the residents of Downside Close months of patience and perseverance to get the evidence together.

IT took Magistrates just three minutes to agree to a three month closure order but it had taken the residents of Downside Close months of patience and perseverance to get the evidence together.

The residents of the close in Ipswich fought back to make their community safe and secure by helping to impose a closure order on a crackhouse.

The fed-up residents completed log sheets documenting all activity along the road on a day to day basis and let their safer neighbourhood team as well as their housing association, Sanctuary Hereward Housing, aware of what was happening.

This then led to police officers gaining permission to close the crack house.

The house was officially closed by Magistrates at south east Suffolk Magistrates Court on Friday, June 29.

Karen Denny, 29, has lived on Downside Close with her husband and three children for a year, she said: “My children saw the house get raided and they were asking me what was going on, it's not very nice for them to see that.

“There are so many children around here and it is worrying with people walking around on drugs.

“So, we all had a meeting at a neighbour's house to discuss what we were going to do about it and then we told Hereward Housing and they told the police.”

Mrs Denny said although the area use to be quite rough, thanks to the efforts of the rest of the community it is starting to get better.

She said: “There's still quite a few to go but as long as they get them all out it will be much better around here.”

Sue Macrae, head of housing services at Sanctuary Hereward Housing, said: “We are determined to get anti-social behaviour on that estate stamped out and by working closely with the residents we have been able to do this.

“The police can't work in isolation, they need the co-operation and help of everyone, it's so important that members of the community work with us and the police.”

PC James Hurden, the officer in charge of the closure order, said: “I would like to thank all those who helped, including residents and the experts who helped with the application.

“We would ask local people across Suffolk to support us to tackle anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime - this is an example of the action that can be taken when communities work together with police.”

Has your community stood up for anti-social behaviour? What do you think?

Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.