A NOISY neighbour who brought young people to his flat and played music late at night has been evicted after complaints from elderly neighbours.

William Farley, 54, disturbed residents, who are mainly pensioners, in his block at Thurston House in the Clementhorpe area of York.

Neighbours reported shouting, swearing and even fighting on the communal staircase in the flats, on Lower Darnborough Street.

Council officers acted after Farley handed out keys for the block, allowing rowdy youngsters to come and go, so communal locks had to be changed.

Residents welcomed his eviction yesterday after months of noise and disruption in their homes and on the road outside the council property.

One woman, in her 80s, said: "There were a lot of younger people coming and going, and the noise disturbed others in the block. You could hear talking and loud music, normally played late at night.

"They seemed an undesirable lot, and they may have been into drinking and drugs, I don't know.

"It used to be just old people in this building, but then the council started letting younger ones in.

"William was fine when he was on his own, and was always pleasant to speak to, but people didn't like the disruption."

Another woman, in her 80s, said: "I didn't really hear much, but I know it disturbed a lot of the others. He was always nice to speak to, but there were too many young people coming round."

Residents in neighbouring sheltered houses, owned by the Joseph Rowntree Trust, said they were disturbed by people coming and going at the flats.

One pensioner said: "It was worse in the summer when there were a lot people hanging about outside, and making a noise. You could hear music and shouting from one of the top flats.

"We had a run-in with them because they kept leaving their cars in our private residents' parking."

Mr Farley made an agreement with council officials in September to abide by a code of behaviour, preventing him from disturbing neighbours.

But they said he breached the code on numerous occasions, so steps were taken to repossess the flat.

Bailiffs arrived to evict Mr Farley on Thursday, but he had already left the property.

Neil McFarlane, the council's tenancy enforcement manager, said: "Even though Mr Farley had already left the property, we formally evicted him to make sure we can keep him out of council housing for the next two years. People who don't care about the effect their actions have on their neighbours are not welcome in council properties."

Updated: 09:08 Saturday, February 18, 2006