It became a "hotbed" for some of the most serious of crimes.
With a transient population, low property standards and lack of established communities, the Bensham area of Gateshead often attracted all the wrong people. With 70% of properties being privately rented, with a high turnover of tenants, the area proved an attractive place for criminals to exploit.
And police say the low demand for homes in the area has resulted in flats and houses being used as brothels, cannabis farms or bases for County Lines drug dealers.
