A SWINDON couple who say they are being terrorised by vandals have installed video cameras in their home.

Teenage tearaways have been targeting the Upper Stratton home of Valerie Hearn, 68, and her partner Ray Millin, 72, for the past six weeks.

Problems came to a head on Friday when a can of spray paint was thrown at their front door.

The can smashed the double-glazing, and sent paint spraying across the door, causing £1,000 worth of damage.

The incident was captured by a video camera which, by chance, Mr Millin had installed that morning. The video shows a gang of seven teenagers hanging around near the couple's Derwent Drive bungalow.

One boy then hurls a paint canister at the door. The boy was around 16, and was wearing a white baseball cap.

The pair were verbally abused and had stones thrown at them when they confronted the gang, who continued to hang around for more than an hour.

They disappeared into the grounds of nearby Kingsdown School.

The couple intend to give the tape to the police. But they are furious because Mrs Hearn called the police immediately after the paint can was thrown at 12.45pm and she says police did not respond until it was too late.

"They said they couldn't send anyone," she said.

"Nobody called me back until 5.35pm, and I was so angry I said I didn't want to speak to them and slammed the phone down. If someone had come out when it happened they could have caught them."

The couple originally installed a CCTV camera four years ago, then they set up an extra video camera following an incident on Tuesday when vandals tore panels from their garden fence.

"It feels like we're living under siege, I didn't sleep all weekend," said Mrs Hearn.

Mr Millin said: "These kids are making our lives a misery. They don't care about what they're doing and the police don't want to know."

Inspector Bill Halsey, of Swindon police, said he was unable to comment on individual cases. But he added: "Members of the public who wish to discuss the service provided by the police should contact their relevant sector inspector."

Neighbours of Valerie and Ray say that in recent weeks youths have been running riot in the neighbourhood, throwing eggs at properties, banging on windows and wrecking fences.

Resident Jacqui Bradley, 56, also of Derwent Drive, said: "They run around in peoples' gardens and have vandalised the bus shelter.

"Many people here are elderly and they find it very frightening."

One Upper Stratton resident, Robbie Ayres, 48, of Pinnocks Place, has started a petition to get more police patrols in the Meadowcroft area. She has collected nearly 100 signatures.

Last week, the Adver told how gangs of up to 30 teenagers were causing problems at the Meadowcroft Express newsagents store.

Police are collecting evidence to take out anti-social behaviour orders on five teenagers believed to be at the core of the problems.