A POLICE officer has said ‘neighbours from hell’ will not be tolerated in Flintshire.

David Roome, district inspector for north Flintshire, welcomed the sentencing of Holywell man David Hardaker, 48, who was jailed for 26 weeks for harassing his neighbour.

Hardaker, of Bryn Celyn, triggered his house alarm and sounded his car horn to stop his neighbour Carol Stevenson sleeping in the day when she worked nights at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

He also accused her of being linked to the Taliban and of threatening to have him killed.

Insp Roome told the Leader: “The court result reflects the seriousness of his behaviour.

“There was a lot of work over many years and it is clear that this was a long-standing dispute between them.

“It has been rightly recognised by the courts as the gross use of antisocial behavior.”

Insp Roome praised the behaviour of victims Carol and Michael Stevenson.

He added: “I’m pleased for the family that this result has come through.

“It can offer some respite from his appallingly bad behaviour.

“They didn’t over-react and were very supportive in the face of extreme behaviour.”

Insp Roome said overall, anti-social behaviour in north Flintshire had dropped since last year.

Cases reported have been cut by 16 per cent, from 1,162 incidents to 969 – the biggest reduction in antisocial behavior in the whole of the North Wales Police force.

Insp Roome said: “Antisocial behavior is a national issue at the moment and there are a series of long-running disputes between neighbours in Flintshire that just haven’t been resolved.

“The police won’t tolerate it and the courts won’t tolerate it. That is the strong message we are putting out there.”