Young thugs who are terrorising a Bradford estate should have a curfew slapped on them to get them off the streets, say councillors.

Residents, many of them elderly, have suffered a living hell as the young hooligans have made their lives a misery.

One couple, Gordon and Pauline Leddy, pictured, and their two children were forced to leave the estate by gangs of teen thugs just five weeks after they had moved in.

They have told how they were threatened, abused and had their property vandalised until they eventually gave up and left.

Now two ward councillors have called for Britain's first blanket child curfews to be introduced on the Bradford Moor estate to stop the reign of terror.

Labour Councillor Mohammad Yaqoob and Tory Councillor Sakhawat Hussain want youngsters banned from the streets between set times after residents complained of children as young as ten being involved.

They claim they have defecated at the entrances to their homes and knocked on their doors to mock and humiliate them when they answer. Fires have also been started in their gardens, their homes vandalised and vicious dogs set on their pets.

Today Coun Yaqoob said: "This is not a safe place for pensioners to live. Things have got so bad here, it's terrible for them.

"We have a law in place and we should exercise this power to protect them. I think if we can get kids off the streets before a reasonable time we can make this a far less intimidating place."

Coun Hussain said: "We should use these curfews to make the estate a safer place to live.

"Youths should not be allowed to make people frightened in their own homes."

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq, is the ward's third councillor. He said he was not able to comment because of his mayoral role.

Under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, and changes brought in under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, which took effect on August 1, 2001, applications can be made to the Home Secretary David Blunkett by police or local authorities for an order banning children up to age of 15 from being on the streets after a set time.

Today police said they will only consider applying for a curfew on the estate after all other methods available to them had failed.

Young thugs who are terrorising a Bradford estate should have a curfew slapped on them to get them off the streets, say councillors.

Residents, many of them elderly, have suffered a living hell as the young hooligans have made their lives a misery.

One couple, Gordon and Pauline Leddy, and their two children were forced to leave the estate by gangs of teen thugs just five weeks after they had moved in.

They have told how they were threatened, abused and had their property vandalised until they eventually gave up and left.

Now two ward councillors have called for Britain's first blanket child curfews to be introduced on the Bradford Moor estate to stop the reign of terror.

Labour Councillor Mohammad Yaqoob and Tory Councillor Sakhawat Hussain want youngsters banned from the streets between set times after residents complained of children as young as ten being involved.

They claim they have defecated at the entrances to their homes and knocked on their doors to mock and humiliate them when they answer. Fires have also been started in their gardens, their homes vandalised and vicious dogs set on their pets.

Today Coun Yaqoob said: "This is not a safe place for pensioners to live. Things have got so bad here, it's terrible for them.

"We have a law in place and we should exercise this power to protect them. I think if we can get kids off the streets before a reasonable time we can make this a far less intimidating place."

Coun Hussain said: "We should use these curfews to make the estate a safer place to live.

"Youths should not be allowed to make people frightened in their own homes."

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq, is the ward's third councillor. He said he was not able to comment because of his mayoral role.

Under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, and changes brought in under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, which took effect on August 1, 2001, applications can be made to the Home Secretary David Blunkett by police or local authorities for an order banning children up to age of 15 from being on the streets after a set time.

Today police said they will only consider applying for a curfew on the estate after all other methods available to them had failed.

But residents have backed the councillors' call.

Gordon Leddy, 36, said he and his family were driven off the estate by a gang of thugs only five weeks after they moved there.

Mr Leddy, who lived with his wife Pauline, their 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter in Hodgson Avenue, said they were repeatedly warned to leave or their home would be set on fire.

He said children as young as five would open his door and shout threats and abuse. His car was also vandalised before the family gave up and moved to Keighley three weeks ago.

He said: "We were petrified. They had no respect for people's homes or privacy. I completely back the idea of a curfew. What happened to us shouldn't be allowed to happen again."

Kathleen Piff, a 57-year-old disabled widow, of Moorfield Avenue, said: "We don't feel safe and we shouldn't have to live in fear."

But Sergeant Keith Boots, community safety officer for Bradford Moor, said police would be pursuing anti-social orders and issuing harassment orders when they had identified the youngsters responsible before they would consider asking for a curfew.

"One of the problems is that the crimes are not being reported to the police," he said. "We are making daily checks on the crimes being reported in Bradford Moor. We are introducing regular patrols and are working with people on the estate to overcome these problems."

A Bradford Council spokesman said anti-social behaviour committed by their tenant's children could result in County Court proceedings being taken against them.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed it had received no applications for curfew orders since the amended legislation came into force last summer. He said: "Applications to establish curfews are a discretionary matter for local authorities and the police, to be considered in the light of local needs and wider strategies to deal with disorder in their areas."