PEOPLE living in a Pinehurst property will be safeguarded from drug dealers by a partial closure order.

Police successfully applied for the order to be applied to a house in The Bungalows after hearing concerns of cuckooing at the residence.

The order will remain in place for up to three months, and means that anyone other than the person named on the order will be prevented from entering. If they do, they could be committing an offence and may be arrested.

Inspector Carly Nesbitt said: "These gangs are targeting the young and vulnerable in our community and orders like this prevent those in the property being exploited. We were able to obtain the order thanks to local intelligence that helped the neighbourhood police team to progress this and act quickly.

"It highlights how important information provided to the police can be and the positive results it can lead to in our communities.

"This order will prevent the property being used for the storage and preparation of drugs to be sold and will disrupt the supply as part of what is a bigger operation to target those causing harm to our community.

"We take the matter of cuckooing very seriously and will continue to work with the occupant and the community to better improve their quality of life."

If you have concerns that a neighbour or someone in your street is involved in drug dealing or being cuckooed, call 101. You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.