Besieged residents today reacted with joy to the eviction of a woman and her family from their York home.

Adele Ruane and her family have packed their bags and left Etty Avenue, Tang Hall, to set up home at an unknown address.

The eviction came after City of York Council took Ms Ruane to York County Court in January and applied for a possession order, saying she had broken her tenancy agreement by causing a nuisance to other residents.

The deadline for the family to leave the street expired at 4pm yesterday.

Workmen today boarded up the house, bringing the total number of houses in the street whose windows and doors have been covered with metal screens to six.

One resident of the street, who asked not to be named, reacted with relief to the news, saying: "Good riddance to them - they should have been kicked out long ago."

Another resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "This is the best thing to happen to this street in ages."

The eviction of the Ruanes was also welcomed today by Dawn Naylor, whose family was hounded from their Etty Avenue home last year.

"It's the best news I've heard in a long time," she said.

"I'm so pleased - now people will be able to lead their lives in peace without having to put up with the family's activities.

"But my concern now is that they may start again wherever it is they have now moved to."

Complaints from residents about the behaviour of the family prompted police and City of York Council to take them to court.

The council repossessed the house because the family caused "substantial nuisance to other residents".

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "The majority of our tenants are citizens who rightfully seek quiet enjoyment of their life in the city but we do have problems with a minority of tenants.

"Only this week the Home Secretary has urged councils to set up teams to tackle the problem of nuisance neighbours and that is exactly what City of York Council, in partnership with North Yorkshire police, have been doing over the past year or so.

"We hope our recent actions clearly spell out the message that we intend to utilise all the powers at our disposal to ensure that the few do not create misery and nuisance for the many."

Adele Ruane has previously refused to speak to the Evening Press about the complaints made against herself and her family. She was not available for comment today.

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