Drugs, violence and harassment are the biggest menace to tenants on Bradford district's housing estates.

A pioneering enforcement team, which was the first set up in Britain last year, unearthed drug problems in 81 homes.

Many of the homes were being used as "markets" with customers arriving to buy the illegal substances.

The officers also dealt with 98 cases of harassment and violence.

In the past homes have been stoned, cars torched and tenants attacked and threatened. But the Council is stressing that the problems are caused by a tiny minority of its 29,000 tenants who can make life a nightmare for many.

The 339 investigations dealt with by the team up to March included 50 involving noise and 26 which were linked to theft and burglary.

Others were connected with prostitution, nuisance by children and problems with dogs.

The team was set up by Bradford Council to blitz the estates where many people said they were afraid to walk the streets at night.

The six officers work closely with the police, although they do not pass on confidential information.

Their crackdown resulted in 77 possession notices being served during the year and 50 tenants left after complaints against them for drug offences, nuisance and harassment.

Today tenants welcomed the scheme and especially the blitz on drug offenders.

Steve Bellarby, chairman of Odsal Community Association said: "There are drug dens with stock being removed around. A lot of the offence are related to drugs and alcohol.

"We have experienced the work of the team and it is very, very effective. It needs well resourcing and it has a long way to go."

The chairman of the Council's housing services sub-committee, Councillor Jim O'Neill, said: "The supply of drugs from Council houses is a magnet for drawing the wrong sort of people. We intend to stop this evil menace on our estates and will leave no stone unturned. We want to get it off our estates.

"We see eviction very much as a last resort but we will use it if all else fails. We will crack down on all types of persistently bad behaviour which blight the lives of other tenants and we want people to be in no doubt about that."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.