Sompting flat closed after becoming hotbed for criminals, drugs and anti-social behaviour

A spokesman for Sussex Police said a three-month order had been placed on the Millfield flat based on clear evidence that regular local anti-social behaviour and drug taking was due to the property's vulnerable resident being taken advantage of.

According to police, a large number of reports had been made by residents over the past several months about drug use at the property and about anti-social behaviour coming from the address which spilled into the communal hallway and elsewhere.

On several occasions, individuals who were wanted by police were found at the address, the spokesman said.

The order, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 was granted at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, September 22.

It restricts access to the flat to the resident and agencies involved with his care and support. Breach of the order can result in conviction and up to six months imprisonment or a fine.

PCSO Katie Trevis said; "A lot of partner agency working has made this possible, with Adur Homes and Adur & Worthing Council who have worked tirelessly to help get the Order in place. We hope this will result in problems being reduced at the address and in the surrounding area, and that the resident will be able to regain control of his property and his life."

Criminals taking over vulnerable people's properties, often using them as bases for wider criminal activity, is known as 'cuckooing'. The term derives from the nesting habits of cuckoo birds, which remove eggs from other birds' nests and replace them with their own, essentially having the other animal sit on their egg for them.