A FAMILY say they are being terrorised by youths whose latest “prank” was to throw a tin of red paint at their home.

Margaret Knight, 35, who lives in Spalding Avenue, Clifton, York, with her disabled mother, Norma Knight, and six children, said their lives had been made a misery by the behaviour of the gang.

She said over the past six months youths had thrown eggs at the house, kicked footballs against the windows and verbally harassed them in the street.

“My smallest children are two, five and ten and they are really scared – so is my mother,” she said.

“We live in fear of what’s going to be next. Is it going to be a fire bomb through the letter box?

“My mum uses a wheelchair and she’s scared to go out of the house because she gets harassed in the street. It’s constant grief after grief after grief.”

She said the latest incident was on Sunday evening when youths hurled an entire pot of red paint over the front of their council house.

Inspector Mark Henderson, of York Central Safer Neighbourhood Area, said the police took all cases of antisocial behaviour and criminal damage extremely seriously.

He said: “We have taken decisive action recently and will continue to do so when faced with persistent criminals and antisocial behaviour.

“We need the support of our local communities and want to work closely with them and partner agencies to improve the quality of life for the residents of Clifton.

“We are aware that there are still individuals who persistently cause problems and we will use every method available to us to deal with them.”

Paul Morrison, tenancy services manager at City of York Council, encouraged the family to contact their estate manager.

He said: “As with any antisocial behaviour issues, council tenants are always encouraged to contact their estate manager so we can work together, along with the police, to resolve any problems as soon as possible.”