Council tenants lose homes after anti-social behaviour

Housing chiefs took action in three separate cases which included a man using his flat to grow cannabis and another who allowed visitors at all hours which led to fighting and shouting.

Under new "introductory tenancies", court action against council house tenants who breach the terms of their tenancies can be fast-tracked, meaning that they can be more easily evicted if their behaviour becomes unacceptable.

East North East Homes Leeds (ENEHL), which manages council housing on behalf of Leeds Council, has successfully taken action against three tenants who breached their introductory council tenancies.

In the first case, neighbours living in the low-rise flats of Potternewton Court, Chapeltown, were subjected to repeated noise nuisance by 59-year-old Bernard Davey.

Davey had large groups of visitors to his flat at all hours, culminating in damage to property, verbal abuse and fights breaking out. He has now been evicted.

Lee Condon, 40, who lived in a flat at Ramshead Heights, Seacroft, was evicted for cultivating cannabis in his flat.

The cannabis factory was linked to an increase in anti-social behaviour in the neighbouring area and ENEHL promptly terminated Mr Condon's tenancy.

Ali Abika Omar, 32, was evicted for a serious breach of his introductory tenancy at Asket Drive, Seacroft, acting in an abusive and threatening manner. It was alleged in an eviction hearing before Leeds magistrates that Mr Omar said he had a gun and threatened to shoot one of his neighbours if they did not let him into their property.

Coun Les Carter, Leeds City Council's executive board member for neighbourhoods and housing, said: "Our policy of taking firm action against those who breach the terms of their tenancies is an important one.

"We must ensure that we protect tenants from anti-social behaviour – something that can cause real misery for people and affect their quality of life.

"The action taken in these cases sends a clear message that unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated."