A HALFWAY house has been slammed by locals over "antisocial behaviour" and faces calls to be shut down.

A petition has been launched after neighbours claimed knife-wielding residents of the halfway house were roaming the street in Clayton-le-Moors.

MORE TOP STORIES:

More than 40 people in Church Street have joined the campaign, which is also being supported by Clayton-le-Moors ward councillor Tim O’Kane, calling on the police and the council to close the halfway house, whose residents they blame for cars and homes being broken into.

Deborah Boyle, 37, said that she has endured five years of problems, which she said has made her family feel vulnerable.

She said: “We are concerned about our safety. We have got people constantly drunk or taking drugs. Recently someone was roaming back and forth on the street with a knife on him.

"My back yard has been broken into and we have had our car broken into. At the weekend, one of my neighbours had a man walk into her home in the middle of the day and she was terrified."

In a letter to neighbours she appealed for them to back the campaign and listed more than 10 examples of alleged antisocial behaviour in the area. She said: “I feel my family in particular is at great risk.

“I have been constantly stressed with continual worrying events occurring, constant police, ambulances and antisocial behaviour, so much so that I have added three additional locks on the front door and am paranoid about opening the door if on my own at home with the children.”

The halfway house is run by Amanda Clark who was unavailable for comment.

Another neighbour, 49, said: “There has been so much disturbance and so much damage, it is unbelievable.

"Somebody walked into my house thinking they were in the hostel. We have had people with knives, cars broken into."

Cllr O’Kane said he is in favour of the halfway house being forced to close. “There appears to be no supervision of the people who are being brought into this property,” he said.

A police spokesman confirmed that there have been spates of antisocial behaviour in the street, and urged anyone with concerns to call 101.