A COUPLE at the centre of a campaign to close a children's home say they have been driven out of their own house.

Melanie and Joe Coop say they and their five children cannot cope with the disturbance and abuse they suffer from the youths next door to them in Le Gendre Street, Tonge Moor.

Last week, social services managers held emergency meetings with the Coops and another neighbour, Harold Colderley, to resolve the problems after a weekend of trouble.

Youths visiting girls living at the home let off fire extinguishers, attacked an ice cream van, played loud music and were shouting and swearing into the early hours of the morning.

Mr Coop and Mr Colderley say managers have suggested the house be temporarily left unoccupied to give the neighbours a rest.

But they rejected the plan as they believe the trouble will start again when the youths return. The Coops say they have now had enough and reluctantly have decided to be rehoused by the council in two months time.

Mr Coop said: "I just can't handle it any more.

"We've done a lot to this house and used to enjoy living here. It used to be a friendly street.

"I am really resentful about this. It annoys us that we have to up sticks and move."

Mr Colderley, aged 60, told the BEN that, unless social services agree to shut the home, his plans for a peaceful retirement will be ruined in the house he has lived in for the past 30 years.

He said: "I spent quite a lot of money getting my house ready for retirement.

"Now I am frightened to let my grandchildren play in the garden.

"If you got a bad neighbour who was a tenant, and you complained to the council, something would be done immediately.

"But we don't seem to have the same rights if the house belongs to social services."

A spokesman for social services said: "A senior manager has held a private meeting with neighbours of the home, which has a maximum of two children staying there at any given time. They were not told that it is closing because it is not."