A PADIHAM family evicted from their home for anti-social behaviour are being housed in a hotel - at a cost of almost £100 a night.

Janis and John Gabriel and their three sons are being put up in two rooms at the Travelodge in Burnley after they were thrown out of their home in Garden Street yesterday following a catalogue of alleged threats, intimidation and violence toward neighbours.

Burnley Council has put them up in the hotel - which costs £45 a night per room - after they approached the authority to say they were homeless.

If a person meets certain criteria the local council has a duty to provide accommodation for up to two years as outlined in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions' Draft Code of Guidance. This can be anything from accommodation in the private rented sector, to local authority or housing association stock to a local authority run hostel.

The legal requirement does not take into account a family's financial situation.

The Gabriels left their home yesterday leaving behind an estimated £12,000 of repair work. Bailiffs found the house stripped completely bare. Light fittings, electrical sockets, cupboard doors and even the fireplace had been removed. Carpets were lifted and the entire bathroom suite had been torn out.

The family were forced to leave after a judge made a possession order on the property.

The order heard at Burnley County Court last month was brought by Calico Housing for the Gabriels' breach of tenancy which included alleged threats to blow up neighbours.