Residents say 'tenants from hell' are making their lives a misery.

David Martin and his neighbours say they have been subjected to verbal abuse, noise nuisance and threats, and endured countless sleepless nights over the past five years.

They say the problems are caused by a minority of tenants living in the Bardsey House flats opposite them in Parsonage Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford.

The flats are maintained by Bradford South Community Housing Trust (BCHT). Officials have offered to meet the residents to discuss their concerns.

Mr Martin, who lives with his wife and two daughters, said: "The housing trust is just putting anybody into these flats.

"These problems have been going on for a lot of years now.

"We've had obscene gestures, abusive language and threats of violence."

The final straw came earlier this month when Mr Martin and his family were woken by police in the early hours.

The whole street had been sealed off following an incident at 3.40am on Friday, November 4, in which police were called to one of the flats where they had heard reports of a man threatening to self-harm. Mr Martin and his family were woken up by police who wanted to look through his window to check on what was happening opposite.

Mr Martin said he has complained to BCHT about the problems. "I have been down to their offices and made a formal complaint but they say to us that everybody they house has provided them with references," said Mr Martin.

"This may all be well and true but they do not have to live around here and are not kept awake at night by the noise.

"There are lots of normal and nice people who live in the flats and I feel really sorry for them."

Another neighbour, Jan De-Williers, said: "We had one woman not so long ago who would bang on our doors until somebody answered and we had another person who burned down the flat he was living in.

"I have two young children aged five and nine. To be constantly having to listen to streams of foul language has made life difficult. I am reluctant to let them play outside."

Dave Dickens, of East Bradford Community Housing Trust, said: "We will liaise with the police into any reports of alleged anti-social behaviour we receive. We will also take action against any tenant involved in nuisance activity which affects the rights of residents in the area to enjoy the peace and quiet of their home.

"We have used measures such as anti-social behaviour warning letters and termination of tenancies to tackle nuisance behaviour in the past in the Laisterdyke are and we will continue to use appropriate powers, where necessary."