A FAMILY living on a Melksham estate say they are being terrorised in their own home by teenage gangs.

David Clark and Clare Marriott, from the Forest estate, said the teenagers hurl abuse at them, kick footballs at their house and car and smash glass on their driveway.

Miss Marriott said: "I feel scared and intimidated just going out in the street."

The couple said their youngest child, two-year-old Ethan, is terrified of the sudden noises made by footballs hitting their home.

"We are having trouble with him at night. Every single little noise he is petrified and shaking," Mr Clark said.

The couple claim four children from one family on the estate are at the centre of many of the problems.

The Baker family Lisa, 16, Karl, 14 and 13-year-old twins Kerry and Becky live just around the corner from the Clark family.

Mr Clark said although there can be gangs of up to 20 youngsters in the street outside his house, the Baker children are usually involved.

At the weekend the police were called after one youth allegedly smashed a light bulb in his drive.

The teenagers' mother, Janet Baker, denied any of her children were responsible and said they are being unfairly targeted. She said: "Since Mr Clark has moved in here he doesn't like us. I feel that he is victimising us. I don't see the others around here getting threatened with eviction if their kids play football."

Mrs Baker said West Wilts Housing Society took her to court in April and gave her six months to clean up and repair her home and control her children or face eviction.

The housing society and police are trying to solve the problems on the estate. Police have handed out incident report forms to people living in the area in order to gather evidence.

Insp Sarah Bodell of Melksham police said: "We are very concerned about the quality of life of people who live on the estate. While these might not be major crimes, because of the consistency of them and because they are affecting peoples' lives we are trying to use legislation to do something about it."

Mr Clark has records of incidents going back three years and now wants to move away from the area.

He said: "They know it doesn't matter what people say around here. It has been going on for ages and they know they can get away with it."

Judith Jeffrey, of West Wilts Housing Society, said: "We do take a firm view on anti-social behaviour and we do always do what we can within our policy and procedures."