A TROUBLEMAKER who caused problems for neighbours around the clock has been kicked out of his terraced house in Brierfield.

Alan Lee had been a ‘persistent nuisance’ at his home in Regent Street, with local drug addicts calling at all times of the day and night for around eight months.

Loud arguments, shouting and swearing could be heard from the property and neighbours had to put up with smashed windows and other petty acts of vandalism, which has been blamed on Lee and the house’s regular occupants.

Several residents gave statements to Lancashire Police, working with community beat manager Pc John Bailey, in a bid to get rid of Lee.

And after a brief hearing at Burnley Magistrates' Court, a closure order has now been issued, resulting in the property being boarded up for three months.

Deputy district judge David Scanlon said he was satisfied that there was a ‘persistent serious nuisance and disorder’ because of Lee’s presence at the address.

Lee failed to attend court but was later removed from the property before workmen formally sealed up the premises Chris Keogh, who applied for the order on behalf of Lancashire Police, told the Burnley court that Lee had been officially notified of the closure order last Wednesday.

“He has been quite elusive in that has taken all of his belongings upstairs to make it appear that he had moved out but we eventually managed to locate him,” he said.

Even the landlords of the property had no objection to the closure order being made, said Mr Keogh.

Pc Karen Isherwood, who is Pendle’s anti-social behaviour unit co-ordinator, said: “The noise and nuisance from the property was keeping people awake and it was starting to affect their health and well-being.

“People living there knew that Mr Lee had problems but they had had enough. This has been going on for about eight months but it has really accelerated over the past two months.”