A GROUP of students have been banned from their own house after making their neighbours' lives a nightmare.

Council officials applied for a closure order on the home in Norton Road, Winton, after sustained incidents of anti-social behaviour.

The application went before magistrates sitting in Poole on Friday, June 16, following a week-long adjournment when the occupants were warned not to open their doors to visitors.

At court last week magistrates went one step further ordering an immediate closure of the property for 65 days.

The occupants, Alex Morgan, Holly Holston, Jack Paessler, Jake Pearson, Joe Adams and Rio Cunliffe, were given a week to clear the property of their possessions and have to be out of the house by 3pm on Friday (jun23).

And during that time they were only allowed to enter the house between 10am and 3pm.

Each of the occupants, some of whom attend Arts University Bournemouth, was also ordered to pay Bournemouth council £150.

The closure order comes after neighbours reported a number of incidents of loud, thumping music, high levels of anti-social behaviour and continuous verbal abuse from the occupants.

Mum-of-two Hayley Williams, who lives next door, told the Echo that on one traumatic occasion she was told by the police to leave her home with her children because “it was no longer safe” for her to be in the property after her neighbours began smashing glass bottles in the garden.

The order on the property expires on Friday, August 19 - which is believed to coincide with the end of the group's tenancy.

Kelly Ansell, head of housing and community enforcement for Bournemouth council, said officers were left with “no choice” but to take court action after the students failed to respond.

“We work very successfully alongside numerous agencies, including both local universities, to try to deal with these issues fairly and quickly,” she explained.

“Often through communication and engagement with occupants, the matter is dealt with without the need for formal action through the court. However, on this occasion all previous attempts to resolve the issues presented by this property have failed. This has left us with no choice but to pursue court proceedings.”

Heidi Cooper-Hind, head of student services at Arts University Bournemouth, said: “Arts University Bournemouth makes every effort to encourage students to integrate into the local community and to ensure they are aware of their community responsibilities.

"We part-fund and work with both environmental health and the police to respond to all instances of noise complaints, and AUB’s community wardens work throughout the year to raise awareness of how to report any instances of noise nuisance or antisocial behaviour.

"If repeated instances of antisocial behaviour are notified to us during a student’s time at AUB, the University can consider disciplinary action.

"However, in this instance the students had already completed their course of study.

"Given the seriousness of the allegations, AUB supports Bournemouth Borough Council’s decision, and hopes that this will send a strong message to all students that such conduct is not acceptable.”