DELIGHTED residents have won a long-running battle to get a nuisance tenant thrown out of her council house.
Mrs Verena Mercer, who is thought to be in her 50s, was slapped with an eviction order by Hyndburn Council, following a catalogue of complaints.
And this week residents in Curlew Close, Oswaldtwistle, spoke of their relief and said they could now get back on with their lives.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "I feel as though I have got my life back now. It is like a massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
"It has been 15 months of hell for us. I have lived here 20 years and nothing like this has ever happened."
The eviction follows a lengthy probe by Hyndburn Council's Housing section and the Environmental Services department.
The resident, who notched up hundreds of entries in a log book, continued: "Every time I complained, the problems got worse. I asked her daughter to turn the music down and all I got was abuse. Then cupboard doors started slamming and the music went louder.
"I couldn't hear my TV because it was so loud. I had about 54 A4 pages full of incidents, which I gave to the council."
Another resident added: "We could hear the music blasting out from the house at all times of the day and night. It was like living next to a nightclub."
Following the eviction, Councillor Tony Dobson, portfolio holder for housing, said: "It's regrettable that we have had to resort to evicting this tenant. However, it was clear that her actions caused deterioration in the quality of life for the neighbours.
"Hyndburn Homes and Neighbourhood Management staff have worked hard to improve the quality of life for residents of Curlew Close, and we have only been able to take this step as a result of the information and evidence gathered with the help of neighbours and by working in close partnership with the police."
