A terrified family have barricaded themselves behind the knife-scarred door of their high-rise home after repeated attacks and harassment by a gang of yobs.

Disabled Martin Turner and his daughter, Samantha, have left their home just once in the last fortnight because they are too scared to go outside.

Mr Turner, 42, who suffers from angina, and his 20-year-old daughter, who has epilepsy, say they have been subjected to abuse and threats to kill them for two weeks by the youths who repeatedly try to get into their home.

Other residents in the tower block, at Taunton House, off Park Road, Little Horton, say they have been beaten, robbed and harassed by the gang of up to eight youths. Police are investigating the incidents.

Mr Turner now keeps a large chest of drawers pushed up against the front door and puts a second chest up to the inner door of their seventh-floor flat every night. He and his daughter are so scared they have only dared to leave their flat once in the last fortnight, to stock up on food.

Mr Turner claims the group of youths, aged between 16 and 20 and said to be of Asian appearance, live in nearby streets but are able to get into the flats block, even though there is an intercom security system on the ground floor.

He said: "It happens every night when we go to bed. We haven't slept properly for a fortnight. We dare not go out. Every time we try to, we get abused by these lads who hang about outside the flats.

"Some tenants have been robbed and these lads are still coming in the block. We are just terrified of what they are going to do. We have got knife marks on the front door where they tried to get in.

"We have asked the housing trust to move us as an emergency case, but they won't. Our family can't come to visit us. It's like living in a prison."

Mr Turner said he and his daughter were "absolutely petrified" when their flat was first attacked at the start of the month, with the door being battered for ten minutes.

They called police and a woman resident from the block was arrested but minutes later the youths returned and began kicking the door again.

"We were both shaking in terror. Since then, we have regularly been subjected to abuse and threats have been made to kill us. We just want to get out of here."

Neighbour Nasreen Akhtar, 25, said she has also suffered problems.

Nasreen, who has a 12-month-old baby, said: "One woman threw hot chip pan oil on my car and sent text messages to my phone, threatening to kill me and my child.

"I had to phone security to keep an eye on my car because the youths told me they were going to steal it. It's awful living here and once you're here you can't get out."

Another resident, Peter Rooney, 50, says he was attacked and robbed by the same gang of youths on the landing outside his second floor flat.

Mr Rooney said he had returned to the block after visiting a friend about a month ago when he was attacked from behind by a group of six Asian youths. He had a substance sprayed in his face and was beaten up and had money, cash cards and his key fob stolen.

Mr Rooney suffered black and swollen eyes and needed to have hospital treatment. He had previously been robbed of £170 by a woman living in the block.

Another tenant, who did not want to be named, has also been targeted by the youths who burst into his flat and stole his belongings, including a radio and a watch.

Mr Turner added: "We just want the housing trust to act. We are frightened and we want to move. We are asking for help."

The family has also contacted local councillor and Labour group leader Ian Greenwood to ask if he can help.

A spokesman for Councillor Greenwood said he would be meeting the residents tomorrow and would see what he could do to help.

Steve Short, head of operations for Bradford West City Community Housing Trust, said: "We have only been made aware in the last week that Mr Turner and his daughter were concerned about the activities of a group of youths who he said were congregating on Elizabeth Street near to his block.

"We have asked Mr Turner to keep a record of any evidence of threatening behaviour and reports made to the police which could be acted upon and also used as a basis for resolving any problem.

"We have an extensive CCTV system covering Taunton House and the neighbouring blocks and intercom security which only gives access to tenants and their visitors on a push button entry by individual tenants."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said they had been contacted by Mr Turner to report problems in the area and officers had visited him to discuss his concerns.

She added: "Everybody has the right to be able to live peacefully and without fear and we would always encourage anyone who feels they are a victim of anti-social behaviour to contact us."

She confirmed that a 23-year-old Bradford woman had been charged with criminal damage and racially aggravated common assault on a police officer in relation to an incident in Little Horton on May 1. The woman has appeared before Bradford magistrates and pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next month.