A 'NEIGHBOUR from hell', who subjected Leyland residents to months of harassment, is believed to have moved to Adlington.

Joseph Ragoncsa was told to pack up and leave his home on the Broadfield estate, Leyland.

He appeared before South Ribble Magistrates' Court where he was served with a restraining order and told not to go within 200 metres of the shops in Bannister Drive near his former home.

New Progress Housing Association was granted permission to evict Mr Ragoncsa from his home -- believed to be a flat above the Disability Centre in Bannister Drive -- and he was given 28 days to return with a police escort to collect his belongings.

Neighbours say they believe Mr Ragoncsa has moved to the Chorley area.

But Steve Lomas, Chorley Borough Council's head of housing services, said: "We certainly haven't rehoused this person. I don't know where he is living in Adlington, if he is. He could be living in private accommodation. "A history of nuisance and poor behaviour does influence your ability to go on the housing waiting list. As a matter of fact it would exclude you from going on the list."

Tenants living near Mr Ragoncsa's Leyland home said they were glad to see the back of him and applauded the housing association's action to get him out. While local residents did not want to be named -- for fear of reprisals -- they told The Citizen that Mr Ragoncsa 'scared' people and was 'intimidating'.

A shop worker in Bannister Drive said: "A lot of people just refused to come in the shop because they were so scared of him."

Another local added: "I knew Joe for quite a while. He's in his late thirties now and was once a European Thai boxing champion, so that scared people a bit.

"He would stand outside the shops growling at people so you can see why people were afraid."

New Progress Housing Association, which is responsible for the estate, put together the case to evict him after numerous complaints from residents.