A young mother has spoken out over false claims that she ran a brothel from her Durham home after she was wrongly put under police surveillance. Olivia Richwald reports.

WHEN two police officers turned up at Lisa Niles' doorstep telling her they suspected she was running a brothel from her North-East house, she thought it was a joke.

She seriously expected Jeremy Beadle to pop his head around the corner and tell her it was a wind-up.

But two years after Ms Niles, 21, was the victim of a mix-up between Home Housing and Durham Police - for which they have both apologised - she is still suffering.

She has been isolated on the estate, has become the subject of gossip, has been sworn at in the street and had her property vandalised.

Fed up with the constant abuse she has suffered on the Woodlands estate, near Durham, Ms Niles wants to clear her name.

She said: "Neighbours and friends witnessed the police coming to my address and have heard that I was 'running a brothel'. Unfortunately, mud sticks and people gossip, especially on a small housing estate - even though these wildly incorrect statements do not have a grain of truth in them."

Since the incident, Ms Niles has received letters of apology from Durham Police and Home Housing, but neither will take responsibility for what happened.

In March this year, Superintendent Carole Thompson, of Durham Police, wrote: "The information had been given by Home Housing who have since clarified that your address had been given to police by mistake and that there was no evidence linking you to the enquiry. I apologise if this caused you undue distress but the police do have a duty to carry out enquiries into alleged offences."

In April, Roy Pope, former housing manager at Home Housing wrote: "I would like once again to re-emphasise that fact that we are very much concerned, just as much as you are, that you were wrongly accused of something you didn't do.

"Home Housing was not party to the supply of the wrong information, contrary to Durham Constabulary's assertion in their letter to you.

"As discussed with you, we are less concerned about who was to blame for providing the wrong information. Our main concern is how you can now happily live in the neighbourhood following this episode."

The housing authority said it was trying to re-home Ms Niles, who wants to live near her family on the same estate.

Ms Niles said: "A lot of money was invested in making a comfortable home at Fir Avenue. It was a wonderful place to live until this happened."