PEOPLE were breaching lockdown rules to call at a Taunton flat "at all hours" to buy drugs, according to police.

The tenants have now been kicked out of the council home in Duke Street, which will remain closed for three months.

Taunton Magistrates' Court granted the three-month closure order on Friday (May 22).

The court heard that 27c Duke Street was linked to multiple reports of drug dealing and anti-social behaviour, with drug paraphernalia, including needles, being left in communal areas.

A police spokesman said magistrates learned that people were "coming and going from the address at all hours, even during lockdown".

The order means the house has been boarded up and no-one may enter it for three months. Anyone who does so risks arrest.

The neighbourhood team has been working alongside the community to tackle the ongoing ASB associated with drugs misuse in the area.

Local officers hope this order will have a positive impact and send a message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

Police anti-social behaviour co-ordinator Cerwyn Pritchard said: "Before applying for this order, the householder was warned by both police and the housing provider about what would happen if these issues continued and offered advice and support.

"We’d like to reassure people that with the appropriate evidence we can take action and put a stop to the misery caused by this sort of activity.

"We’re now working closely with Somerset West and Taunton Council, the housing provider, to enable new tenants to occupy the house.

"I want to thank the members of the community who have supported this application by reporting incidents to us and the council."