TENANTS on the Ryelands estate face eviction for anti-social behaviour following a far-reaching legal battle in the courts.

Three families who terrorised their neighbours look certain to lose their council homes following last week's legal action at the county court concerning serious allegations of nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

The court heard that on July 27, 2001, a family living on Ryelands estate were with their friends when they were subjected to verbal abuse and threats, including racially abusive language, from their neighbours, all of Austwick Road.

The following day windows to the front and back of the family's home were smashed by their neighbours whilst the family and their friends were in the property.

Terrified by the incident, the family asked the city council to help and the authority obtained five Injunction Orders with Powers of Arrest under Section 153 of the Housing Act, 1985 (as amended 1996), and issued Possession Proceedings against the perpetrators.

After hearing the prosecution and defence District Judge Nuttall acknowledged that the council, having received complaints from all sides, "appear to have dealt with it sensitively". He said he was impressed with the "voluminous file notes" kept by the council and found that they "constituted a detailed, careful and faithful account."

He accepted the evidence from the witnesses called by the council and found in the cases of Mr and Mrs Allan and Angela Newsham and Mr and Mrs Andrew and Dawn Fairbairn that there had been a "serious" breach of terms and conditions of their tenancy agreements. With regard to the Newshams, their evidence of provocation was rejected.

There were also injunctive proceedings taken out against Thomas and Janet Watters.

Commenting, a spokesman for Lancaster City Council said: "This case demonstrates that the city council will not tolerate tenants who make their neighbours lives a misery and breach their tenancy agreements by committing acts of serious anti-social behaviour against them.

"The council will continue to take all necessary steps to tackle anti-social behaviour and to deal with those who cause upset to their neighbours and their communities."

He added: "The Council is grateful to the many witnesses from the Ryelands Estate who came forward and worked with the area housing office and legal department to take this matter to court and hope that this recent action will help support others to come forward and will make the perpetrators of such acts rethink their behaviour.

"The city council, police, residents' groups and many other agencies will continue to work together to deliver safe communities in Lancaster."