VILLAGERS are vowing to clean up their community which, they say, is being ruined by drug abuse and other anti-social behaviour.

Homeowners in South Moor, near Stanley, this week spoke out about the problems of drugs, arson, violence and vandalism that they say are making their lives a misery.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones went on a short tour of the area's worst spots on Monday to discover the extent of the problems.

He was shown burnt-out houses and abandoned homes that had been left to the rats.

In John Street he was approached by a young girl who had written a letter for him in which she dubbed the area 'Hell Street'.

Another John Street resident told how a family party last week had ended in a trip to hospital after she was attacked. She said: "We were having a karaoke session with the bairns when we heard this commotion outside. There was about 12 lads in our yard and one had picked up a shovel.

"I went to take it off him and he headbutted me in the face."

The youth was arrested but she says he has since been back, making threats to kill her.

Her husband said: "He threatened to cut her open and slice her ears off."

Residents also said that they wanted property landlords to take more care over who they allowed to move into their rented properties.

Many residents said the decline in the area was due to a rise in the number of houses owned by private landlords and let to problem families, but the private landlords dispute this.

The MP's tour guides were county council ward member David Marshall and Ronnie Walker of South Moor Neighbourhood Watch.

Mr Walker, who has lived in South Moor for 27 years, said residents felt that not enough people cared about the community.

He said: "What we have got to do first is get the community to care about where we live, then we can start to tackle the problems."

Mr Jones said: "You have a mix of ownership of homeowners, housing association properties and private landlords.

"The housing association will kick out a bad tenant for breaking its rules, but they get taken in by a private landlord in the same area.

"The landlord doesn't care about the sort of people he lets in, as long as the cheques keep coming."

He said it was a vicious circle, with homeowners selling up to escape and private landlords picking up the properties at bargain prices.

But later Trevor Dickson, chairman of Derwentside Private Landlords' Association, said: " The reason the private landlords' association was formed in the first place was to try and set up standards in the private sector.

"We have a performance list which sorts out the good from the bad and we liaise well with each other over problem tenants. It is unfair just to pass the blame on to private landlords. We are trying to look at the problem.

"We have a very good relationship with Derwentside District Council and we are trying to work with the housing associations as well."