"TENANTS from hell" who terrorised neighbours on a Prestwich estate have been given their marching orders.

They have 28 days to get out of their council homes on the Polefield Estate after housing chiefs obtained a possession order against them for anti-social behaviour.

Linda and Stacey Todd, from Polefield Grange, and Wendy West, of Polefield Gardens, have also been ordered to pay Bury Council legal costs following a hearing at Salford County Court.

Residents on the estate, whose problems were highlighted in Parliament by Bury South MP Ivan Lewis, banded together to get rid of the troublemakers.

They kept diaries recording the nuisance caused by a gang of youths on the estate, which included the children of the tenants, and, in one case, by a person living with a tenant.

This included damage to property - in one instance throwing a bike through a car window - verbal and racial abuse as well as harassment and assault. On one occasion, threats were made with an iron bar and one person also had a gun put to their head while pellets were fired through a window.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "Nobody wanted it to go this far, and nobody wanted people to get evicted but how long were we supposed to put up with it?

"The decent people of the estate have decided enough is enough, and the general feeling is that everybody is pleased as this has been going on for 18 months. It costs nothing to have consideration and a bit of respect. This might make people realise they have got to keep their kids in check. I do not think some people realised the extent of what was going on but everybody was determined to sort it out."

Legal notices have been served on five families living on the estate and further court action is being considered by the council.

Councillor Kevin Scarlett, housing chairman, said: "This is not the first time that we have been prepared to take people to court if necessary and we will do it again and again where individuals or families make life hell for their neighbours."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.