THIS is the wreckage left by vandals who struck at two council homes - cheating two families of the chance to move in for Christmas.

Councillors today called for tighter security after the attack on the Doherty Walk homes, in Foxwood.

The damage left by the hooligans is expected to cost hundreds of pounds to repair after every window was smashed and the inside of the properties was left badly damaged.

Local councillor Steve Galloway said: "This incident has robbed two families on the housing waiting list from having a new home for Christmas, and it means other tenants will have to foot the bill for the repairs. It is time that the council worked out an effective policy to bring to an end, once and for all, bad neighbour problems of this type."

The occupants left their homes on Friday.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders had been placed on two members of the family which occupied them. Two youths received the order for three years after they made life "intolerable" for the residents of Foxwood.

The homes were smashed despite being boarded up by City of York Council.

Coun Galloway said that given the history of problems in the street, residents ought to have better protection against vandals.

He has asked police chiefs in the area for increased patrols in an effort to stop the attacks happening again. And he was arranging to meet security firms to discuss setting up private guards for the street - with the cash coming from the area's ward committee budget.

Security firms are already employed on some York estates, including Chapelfields and Clifton. Their aim is to give a high profile deterrent for criminals and to help police with information.

Coun Galloway said: "We expect to be able to offer residents the option of increased surveillance and more security patrols when they decide how to spend the ward committee budget for the forthcoming year.

"In the meantime, I am asking the housing department to increase security at these and similar homes, to get repairs done quickly and to re-let the homes to people who will respect the property.

A City of York Council spokesman said it was working on remedial works suggested by Coun Galloway.

He said: "After discovering that the homes had been abandoned, police removed several youths from them and we boarded them up on Friday.

"This is an unfortunate incident of vandalism in this area, but we must stress the very good work that has been going on between ourselves and the police in tackling antisocial behaviour which is beginning to work."

He said further security measures could not be put in place on Friday because investigations to make sure the houses had been abandoned needed to be carried out.

Updated: 10:43 Tuesday, December 18, 2001