A WOMAN has been evicted from her Darlington home and two more families face the same fate in the New Year as part of the council's crack down on anti-social behaviour.

The woman, from Skerne Park, was told to leave her house after her partner was jailed for possession of class A drugs.

A family of six from the same area face eviction after Christmas for harassing and intimidating neighbours.

All the members of the family have an anti-social behaviour injunction imposed on them until they leave the house.

Darlington Borough Council also plans to evict a family of six from their home in Cockerton after breaching a suspended possession order that was imposed upon them by the court for threatening, harassing and intimidating neighbours.

The council has the power to evict any tenants from its properties in Darlington who are in breach of their tenancy agreement by behaving in an anti-social manner.

Councillor Bill Dixon, cabinet member for community and public protection, said eviction was used as a last resort.

"We go to great lengths to advise, encourage and support our tenants to try to resolve situations of conflict," he said.

"But if tenants are not prepared to work with us, if they are not prepared to behave in a responsible way, they risk losing their homes.

"Everyone has the right to peace and quiet in their homes.

"Neighbours who harass, bully or intimidate will not be tolerated.

"Problems of anti-social behaviour are caused by a small minority of our tenants.

"The vast majority have made it clear that the council's enforcement of the conditions of the tenancy agreement is a priority for them and they fully support any action we must take against tenants who are not prepared to change their behaviour."

Once a tenant has been evicted, the council is under no obligation to re-house them because it takes the view that they have made themselves intentionally homeless.

Four other families in the town, who have been reported for harassing neighbours, are being monitored by the council