ACTIVISTS have targeted a York household with a leafleting campaign that claims they support animal torture - and invites people to show their disgust.

Animal lover Helen Stewart, 33, was stunned to get the leaflet pushed through her own letterbox and the frightened mother then found a man at her garden gate using a megaphone to accuse her of owning shares in an animal testing firm.

When she went to speak to the man she was subjected to verbal abuse by a carload of people.

She insists the activists have got their facts wrong - and fears their mistake could lead to further and more serious abuse, as the leaflets have her address printed on them.

Helen, of Tang Hall, rented her house out to tenants while she was away for three years in Cambridge and Northern Ireland with her husband, who is in the army.

She returned to York at the beginning of July and yesterday received a leaflet through the door identifying her former tenants as shareholders in Cambridgeshire firm Huntingdon Life Sciences, which is involved in animal testing.

Helen said: "The leaflet says the above named people are making money from animal torture. If this disgusts you let them know what you think of them. The next thing I knew there was a man outside my gate with a megaphone saying that these people support animal cruelty.

Alan Robertshaw, spokesman for York Animal Aid, said: "We've been involved in campaigning against NatWest Bank which was giving financial support to Huntingdon Life Sciences, but I personally know nothing about this campaign and as far as I know people in York Animal Aid are not involved."

Andrew Gay, marketing director for Huntingdon Life Sciences, said there had been a campaign directed at the company for the past ten months which had in one case resulted in employees' cars being firebombed.

PICTURE: SCARED: Helen Stewart and son, Harry, who have received threatening leaflets from animal rights activists (Frank Dwyer)