A MAN hounded out of his home by teenage yobs today expressed his relief at having assault charges against him dropped but said: "My family's hell goes on."

As an East Lancashire MP called for police to start using common sense before prosecuting people who had been victims themselves, Edward Coker revealed how his family had been forced to quit their home of 13 years.

Mr Coker, 40, appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with assaulting one of a gang of youngsters described to the bench as having subjected his family to "unwarranted and concerted attentions."

The charge of assault was dropped and Mr Coker, now of Manxman Road, Blackburn, was bound over in £50 to keep the peace.

In the process, he became the third man this year to receive sympathy from the courts for charges arising from situations where they felt they had been forced to retaliate after provocation from youngsters.

Earlier this year, newsagent Peter Bretherton was given a three-month conditional discharge by Chorley magistrates after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm after hitting a teenager who he believed had been part of a gang plaguing his shop in Alder Drive, Hoghton. Also this year, Longridge father Michael Charnley was given a 12-month conditional discharge by Blackburn magistrates when he pleaded guilty to assaulting a teenager he claimed had attacked his six-year-old son and thrown him into a nettle bush.

After the case, Mr Charnley admitted he had done wrong but said the police should have had acted before to sort out juvenile nuisance problems in the town.

Today, Burnley MP Peter Pike expressed concern about the way Lancashire police were handling cases. He said: "I hope the police will act with more common sense in the future and realise that these people are often victims themselves.

"People shouldn't take the law into their own hands but I appreciate that juvenile problems are very distressing.

"I know of many cases myself.

"Hopefully, initiatives like community wardens will put more people in uniform on the street and help tackle the problem.

"The police do need to look at the reasons for incidents, as does the Crown Prosecution Service."

Mr Coker, 40, moved his wife, Carol, and four children from their home in Lamlash Road, Shadsworth, after becoming the target of trouble from youths on the estate.

The court was told that over the course of a year, Mr Coker's car was repeatedly vandalised, his tyres slashed, his children bullied, his wife threatened and bricks thrown at his house.

Some 17 complaints were made to the police -- but Mr Coker claims they only responded when one complaint was made about him when he was accused of assault.

Mr Coker said: "It was just desperate. I know I shouldn't have done it but the police just were not there for us.

"My house was being vandalised as was my car and my wife was scared to go out as were my children.

"We had done nothing to deserve it and in the end I snapped. If more people stood up to them, then they would stop.

"I wish the police had been so swift to act when we complained then this problem would not have happened."

He added: "Life has got better since we moved here. People criticise Higher Croft but it is much better than Shadsworth. "But my wife Carol has had to take tablets because the situation has made her so nervy.

"She still works at a high school and yobs approach her, and my daughters, there.

"Our hell is still going on."

Mrs Coker added: "When I go back to visit my mum in Shadsworth, they chase my car and spit at us. They just won't leave us alone."

Sgt Peter Moore, area sergeant for Shadsworth, said he could not comment on individual cases.

But he said: "Juvenile nuisance is a problem on Shadsworth and when we identify a problem area we do all we can to tackle it with things like high visibility policing.

"But sometimes our resources are stretched."

Today Mr Bretherton said: "It is daft. The police only come when the youngsters complain. Things haven't changed for me. It is wrong."

Lancashire Police has stated that it attends thousands of cases of juvenile nuisances each year and has urged residents to try and resolve issues among themselves - without committing crimes.