'Neighbours from hell' in five North-East communities will be given a last chance to end the misery they cause - or face eviction.

A crackdown already up and running in Sunderland will be extended to tackle the worst families in Middlesbrough, Easington, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Newcastle.

All five towns and cities will be handed £25,000 of Home Office cash to develop an 'Intensive Family Support' programme. The scheme aims to target children running wild.

Anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) will be extended, behaviour contracts drawn up and, in some cases, mothers and fathers ordered to attend parenting classes.

In the worst cases mums and dads may have to attend residential courses.

Nuisance neighbours who fail to improve their behaviour despite the offer of help will be evicted from their homes.

Defending the get-tough approach, Home Office minister Hazel Blears said the threat of eviction succeeded in "concentrating the mind wonderfully".

And she released a review of 100 families in the ten trial areas, including Sunderland, which found that 40% of people believed the programme had improved behaviour.

Ms Blears said: "Having nuisance neighbours may sound trivial to some, but the reality can be pure hell for the individuals and communities affected.

"In the worst cases the anti-social behaviour of one or two families can hold whole streets to ransom, causing residents to live in fear of vandalism, abuse or harassment, day in, day out."

Ms Blears said moves to rehabilitate problem families would also include treatment for drugs and alcohol and encourage children to go to school.

And she denied the government was penalising the poor by targeting families that rent their homes.

"We've also got anti-social behaviour orders, which are irrespective of your tenure," she added.

The minister announced the expansion of the programme to 50 areas with high rates of anti-social behaviour, at a cost of £1.25m.

Of the 100 cases reviwed by the Home Office, one quarter had previously been evicted. In 38% of the families, children were not attending school regularly, if at all.