The use of Mosquito devices which emit a high-pitched sound only young people can apparently hear has always been dogged by controversy.

There are complaints that the alarms are discriminatory because they cause discomfort to young people.

They have seemingly proved effective, however, in deterring mischief-making young people from hanging about outside shops or in public places where they might cause a nuisance.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of using such devices, there would seem to be an appropriate time and place for their deployment.

One can see the sense in employing these Mosquitos in areas where young people gather and could cause intimidation to other people or vandalism.

The use of such devices in a residential area does not, however, seem to be appropriate.

The D’Arcy family say they are being driven out of their home because the Mosquitos mounted near their rented property are driving the children to distraction.

If a family is forced to quit their home due to nuisance, then it would seem that the efforts to quell youth disturbances in this case have gone too far – in fact, it would be as bad as if a family had been driven out by badly-behaved youths.

And that is surely not the point.