Nuisance neighbours warned their lives can be made hell

East Riding Council's anti-social behaviour team is working with landlords and tenants of privately rented properties to clamp down on neighbours who make the lives of people living nearby a misery.

Council officers have a range of powers available to them to tackle the issue, and in the worst cases can apply to the courts for closure orders, banning residents from almost any property for specified periods.

Landlord liaison officer Sarah Horner said: "When we receive reports about a nuisance neighbour we always try to work with the tenant and the landlord, or the home owner, to resolve the issue in the first instance.

"Nuisance behaviour can be anything from behaving in an intimidating or threatening way to people living nearby to carrying out criminal activity at the premises, generating excessive noise or allowing significant numbers of people to come and go from the property at all times of the night or day.

"Unfortunately, some cases are not so easy to resolve and we are faced with persistently bad behaviour that makes life a misery for people living nearby. It's in such cases that we would use the legal powers available to us and apply to the courts for a closure order."

The orders last initially for a maximum of three months but can be extended by magistrates. Anyone who breaches an order can be jailed for 51 weeks, fined up to 5,000, or both.

Ms Horner added: "The message is loud and clear – nuisance neighbours will not be tolerated."