People living in an Armley street where police banned access to three houses have described being terrorised by three out of control families.
A small group of thugs have robbed neighbours, smashed windows and lit fires in Paisley Place, according to residents.
On one occasion a woman living alone found her floorboards had been ripped up and copper wire stolen from the house.
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Another woman said she became terrified for her young children when slate tiles were stolen from the terraced roofs and loose tiles fell to the pavement below.
All three families have reportedly been moved from the street but neighbours fear the cycle of criminal violence and destruction will return when the banning order is lifted on April 4.
One neighbour who did not want to be named claimed: “There are three families living in those three trap houses [a property used to sell drugs from] for a couple of years.
“They are a load of kids, 15 to 17-year-olds, that’s the max that they were.
“They were smashing up the houses every single night, sometimes at like three or four in the morning, with bricks or planks of wood.
“I’m moving house next week due to it. I've got kids.
“They took the slate off the roofs and I had a police officer that knocked and said don’t let the kids out because there’s slate dropping everywhere.”
She added: “One young girl got moved on to the street and they partied in her house, smashed it up and robbed her fridge and her washer.
“She got moved straight off the street, same with the girl whose floorboards they ripped up to get the copper wire.”
Another neighbour, who also did not want to be named, said there was often fighting in the street and loud shouts and bangs from inside the three houses.
West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team were granted the Premises Closure Order on the houses in Paisley Place by The Magistrates Court.
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A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "We can never tolerate behaviour such as this and responded quickly, working closely with our council partners to find a long-term solution to the problems.
“The securing of these three closure orders should bring some welcome relief to residents and demonstrate our continued commitment to using all available measures to target the problems that affects people’s lives.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and we encourage residents to let us know about any further incidents or issues in the area so we can take appropriate action.”
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