A FAMILY who have made the lives of their 'yuppie' neighbours hell for the past nine years are to be thrown out of their council home.

A judge on Monday ordered the immediate eviction of Anthony and Rosemary McHugh after hearing how the behaviour of the family and their sons' friends has ruined their neighbours' lives.

Two of the neighbours told Liverpool County Court about the threats, intimidation, damage and general harassment they had endured, and were jubilant at the judge's ruling - but fearful there may be repercussions.

"Someone had to take a stand and hopefully we can now live our lives in peace. We just don't know what may happen next," said Peter McLintock. "All the neighbours have suffered but many were too afraid to give evidence.

"It's been nine years of hell but I want people who might be in a similar position to take heart. There is help and there is light at the end of the tunnel."

He and his neighbour, Michael Peers, gave evidence after Wigan Borough Council brought the eviction proceedings following the catalogue of breaches of the McHughs' tenancy agreement.

Mr McLintock, 33, a financial advisor, told the judge how he bought his brand new home in Thompson Street, Leigh, at the end of 1991 for £45,500 but, like other neighbours on the Wimpey estate, was now in a negative equity trap.

"It's worthless now because no one wants to move in because of the gangs of youths terrorising people. The houses, if they sell, are going for about £30,000.

Mr Peers, an engraver, told the court: "Mr McHugh said we bought the house to make money and called us 'yuppies'. We are just hard-working ordinary people trying to get on in life."

Mr McLintock, who lives directly opposite with his wife and their two young children, said the problems began at the start of 1992.

"It has been an absolute living nightmare. You cannot describe it in words. You just think 'is it ever going to end?'

"My son suffers nightmares since he was attacked by a gang of youths last year and had a screwdriver shoved in his eye," he said.

"He is up in the night crying. What can I do?" said Mr McLintock, almost overcome with emotion.

He claimed one of the 10-strong gang was Stephen McHugh, now 18, currently in custody awaiting sentence for breaching a restraining order imposed in September last year for harassing the McLintocks, threatening to petrol bomb their home.

After that threat, Mr McLintock had to give up his job working away and get one locally because he was too afraid to leave his wife alone at night. "We had to keep buckets of water by the windows and doors just in case."

The neighbours also had to endure the gang riding scrambler bikes over their open-style front lawns, firing an air pistol at their homes and parked cars, throwing fireworks and other missiles, and hitting golf balls.

The McLintock family were also distressed by Stephen McHugh sitting for long periods on the wall opposite and staring directly into their lounge. When he was in jail, his friends would do it, he explained. Another son of the family, Martin, was involved with another gang which also caused trouble, he added.

There was always something going on in the early hours of the morning with people calling at the house. "It's like a conveyor belt and we see the parents laughing and joking and letting people in," he added.

Asked if the McHughs had tried to curtail the activities of their sons, Mr McLintock replied: "They are quite happy for it to go on, they are part of it."

Mr Peers told how Stephen McHugh and friends were drinking beer in their front garden, in breach of the restraining order, and their parents were joining in and afterwards they smashed the empty bottles in the street.

Mr and Mrs McHugh did not attend the hearing and Judge David Marshall Evans, QC, found the council had proved the alleged breaches of the tenancy agreement and, unusually, ordered the family to be evicted forthwith.

"The McHughs have been warned by the council of the consequences of failing to control, diminish or eliminate such behaviour by their sons or by visitors, and no constructive or effective steps have been taken to see that such behaviour discontinues.

"The whole picture is one of a situation which cannot be expected to be tolerated by neighbours," he ruled. He ordered that the McHughs pay the council's legal costs.

After the case, Mr Denis Harrison, the authority's tenancy relations officer, said the case was one of the worst the borough council had had to deal with.