FRIENDS and neighbours of Malmesbury mother Karen Laker who was accused of using her home as a drugs haven for teenagers, have rallied round to give her support.

Ms Laker, also known as Karen Ashcroft, a surname she took from a former boyfriend, has again refuted rumours that her house at 20 Corn Gastons was used by large groups of teenagers for taking drugs. She has described the rumours as completely untrue.

Neighbour Chris Green, 44, defended Ms Laker and said in the two years he had known her, he had neither seen or heard anything at the house that would warrant a complaint.

"Karen is a very religious woman who doesn't drink or smoke. She is a woman on her own with four kids," he said. "The kids come and go; I have not had any reason to go out and investigate.

"I have heard music coming from upstairs in the house, but it is all over by 9pm. In any case she has her young kids and they have got to go to bed."

Ms Laker, an unemployed single mother with four children aged from two to 13, said: "I have never had any complaint from any other neighbour about anything.

"People see the young as the same. They may be experimenting with drugs but that doesn't mean to say they are doing it in my house."

She also denied claims that large numbers of children had been allowed at the house.

"I have not had up to 18 children at a time in the house," she said.

"There is not enough room. My son has the smallest room in the house."

Ms Laker said the police had been at the house asking about the people her eldest son, George, 13, was friends with.

She said however, that she would not stop any of George's friends from coming in her home and wanted to get to know them better.

"I am trying to bring him up right and I want to get to know his friends so he can invite them here and I can find out what they are like," she said.

"They have always treated me with respect.

"I think they come here because it is quite a normal house and they can't get out or get back from anywhere outside Malmesbury."

She added: "I like the children to come into the house. I go to King Church on Abbey Row and believe there is life through God. George also goes to church on a Friday."

But one neighbour, who did not want to be named, said there have been ongoing problems for the past eight months.

The 38-year-old father-of-two said he had seen kids jumping from a top floor window with an umbrella.

"This isn't something that has happened overnight. It is all the worst people in town congregating at the house," he said. He said he wanted action before a fatal accident happened.

"I don't want to stop the children having fun. I am talking about social responsibility. A fatal accident could so easily happen at the house. I would be very upset if I hadn't done anything about it," he said.

Mr Green, however, defended his neighbour from the accusations, saying: "The suggestion that she is running a haven for adolescent drug takers is completely ridiculous.

"Like most teenagers they can get a bit noisy at times but I can assure you that I have never seen or heard one incident where I felt it would be necessary to complain to her, let alone the police and I only live next-door-but-one. In Malmesbury there is virtually nothing for teenagers to do. When someone like Karen actually does something positive, she should be wholeheartedly supported."

Headteacher of Malmesbury School Malcolm Trobe confirmed complaints about two or three houses in a 200-yard area around the school including Corn Gastons, but said the school had little power to act.

cramos@newswilts.co.uk