FAREHAM'S first crack house has been shut down and sealed up following a joint operation between police, civic leaders and concerned local residents.

The drug den, in Bishopsfield Road, was discovered less than 100m away from three schools and a sixth form college and was described as having caused a great deal of anxiety to people living near it.

Yesterday, though, after a joint application to Portsmouth's Magistrates Court by both Fareham Borough Council and Hampshire Constabulary the occupants of the flat were booted out and told if they went back in within three-months they would be arrested for trespassing.

Police chiefs in the town also warned drug users that more raids were in the pipeline, with the force committed to wiping out drug abuse throughout Hampshire.

Fareham's top police officer, Chief Inspector Steve Wallace, said his officers spent many months working closely with Fareham Borough Council to get enough evidence for the closure order on the flat - the first drug-related closure order in the town.

Complaints from local residents about the effect that the crack house was having on their lives were also shown to the court, with officers emphasising the levels of anti-social and nuisance behaviour the residents were displaying. Two police raids had also found evidence of drug consumption at the flat, along with a positive seizure of drugs on the second occasion.

Police have now sealed up the council-owned property, at 2 Marne House, but urged all residents in the district to be on guard against similar set ups.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "These people made this block unbearable for the rest of us.'' Inspector Wallace said: "Fareham does not have a major drug problem, but today's drug den closure serves as a warning that we will not tolerate drug abuse.'' Executive leader of Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: "We will take action against any drug dealing, and support the police in their work."