ELEVEN disruptive families have been thrown out of their council homes over the last four months on estates throughout Bolton in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Specialist council squads are using hi-tech spying equipment to target residents who make their neighbours' lives a misery.

The measures were introduced in April to gather evidence against rogue tenants, involved in activities such as prostitution, drug dealing, harassment and disturbing neighbours with loud music through the night.

Hidden cameras and professional witnesses, who spy on the homes of persistent offenders from hi-tech vans, have also been used to gather evidence.

And in future agents of Bolton at Home, the independent organisation which manages the borough's council homes, will also be moved into empty properties to collate information on trouble makers.

Between April and August, the group's new anti-social behaviour teams, split between Bolton north and south, have also handed out 40 acceptable behaviour contracts and won three injunctions in court.

They have also seen 12 "problem" families walk out of their homes before court orders could be granted to move them.

Acceptable behaviour contracts are drawn up between the police, Bolton at Home, and offenders who agree to stop anti-social activities.

Before the launch of the teams, about eight households were evicted for persistent nuisance behaviour every year.

Cllr David Wilkinson, executive member for housing and environment at Bolton Council, said: "People who destroy communities through their selfish and anti-social behaviour should realise there is nowhere to hide.

"We want to work with people to try to improve their behaviour but, if they are not willing, we will take action against them."

There are currently about 19,700 council tenants in the borough and Bolton at Home receives almost 900 reports of anti-social behaviour every year.

In less serious cases, the teams work with families and trouble makers to improve their behaviour before seeking eviction notices or anti-social behaviour orders.

They are also visiting a number of schools to educate youngsters on how their behaviour impacts on others.

John Dunn, housing services manager at Bolton at Home, said: "Just one person can destroy the lives of an entire community and, in some cases, people's behaviour has been so bad that there have been 20 or more empty properties around them because the neighbours have been driven out.

"There are undoubtedly people out there suffering because they are still afraid to come forward but people should be aware that anti-social behaviour is nowhere near as bad in Bolton as it is in places like Manchester and Liverpool."

A number of measures are being introduced to protect residents from abusive neighbours.

In the new year, 24-hour response teams and temporary housing will be offered to people who fear for their safety.

Temporary rehousing is also available for people living next door to trouble makers.

Help and support for those giving evidence in court is also offered.

Home was a vice den

HOUSING officers have revealed the depths of misery some residents have suffered at the hands of their neighbours.

Sylvia Simpson, anti-social behaviour manager for the Bolton at Home south area, said some residents lived in fear of violent and criminal neighbours.

In one case in Farnworth, neighbours suffered for two years when a home on their street was turned into a drug and prostitution den.

They reported taxis arriving throughout the night to bring clients to the suburban home of a middle-aged women who also allowed it to be used as a base for drug dealers.

Residents, who were subjected to regular threats and verbal abuse from visitors to the house, were too scared to give evidence in court.

But an eviction notice was finally secured after the new anti-social behaviour teams were established in April.

An unmarked hi-tech surveillance van was placed outside the house in the street while housing officers made daily visits to neighbours to provide support.

By June, an eviction notice had been awarded by the court and bailiffs were sent in to throw out the woman when she refused to leave.

In another case in Horwich, a middle-aged women turned her semi-detached home into a party house for local youths after her husband was jailed.

Despite pleas to stop from the couple who lived next door with their teenage daughter, gangs continued to regularly congregate at the house to get drunk and play loud music throughout the night.

The problem continued for 18 months when an eviction notice was secured by the anti-social behaviour team.

Ms Simpson said: "Living next-door to people who behave in these ways can be terrifying but people do not have to suffer in silence."