A JUDGE has ordered a man to quit his council-owned maisonette by the weekend after hearing it described as a vice den which had been raided 24 times by police.

Middlesbrough Council was granted a possession order against Alan Calvert, who had lived in the town's Mallory Close, Newport, for 30 years.

Council lawyers had asked for him to be evicted within 14 days, but Judge Peter Cuthbertson said Calvert's neighbours had suffered far too long already, with a constant stream of prostitutes' clients.

Louise McCallum, for the council, told Middlesbrough County Court how neighbours compiled diaries of evidence to use against him, although all were too frightened to appear as witnesses.

Making his decision on Friday, Judge Cuthbertson said: "They have put up with this for far too long, and they cannot reasonably be expected to put up with it for much longer."

Calvert, who represented himself at the day-long hearing, said he disputed "most" of the allegations and said he had asked his guests to leave, but they refused.

Judge Cuthbertson said: "Up to 18 months ago it remained a reasonably contented and happy neighbourhood.

"But, sadly, it has become a neighbourhood of fear, distress and abuse, a neighbourhood where such vulnerable people live in fear, can't sleep because of the noise, where prostitution is being carried out, where drug users most certainly attended."

Calvert was ordered to pay £542 costs.

The judge also imposed an injunction forbidding him to cause nuisance or annoyance to his neighbours or risk a jail sentence of up to two years.

A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said after the hearing it hoped the judge's comments would encourage other tenants with nightmare neighbours to come forward.