The research examined the ways councils and other landlords dealt with nuisance neighbours - 75% of councils and housing associations questioned said the issue was a growing problem.

You can't have a single solution that will deal with the problem

Report co-author Caroline Hunter

The study followed Home Secretary Jack Straw's plea to councils in England and Wales last month to make greater use of new powers to crack down anti-social behaviour.

The report found anti-social behaviour ranged from verbal abuse and noise to harassment and intimidation.

It said more specialist teams were needed to help councils deal with complaints.

Too few landlords were making use of injunctions to target anti-social behaviour without evicting the perpetrators, the report said.

Despite the recent strengthening of legislation - including new anti-social behaviour orders - landlords were not using injunctions largely because they had no experience of them, it added.

Mental illness

The study also suggested that eviction failed to tackle the underlying problems faced by the offending families.

It found mental illness and drug or alcohol addiction to be a common factor.

Jack Straw wants more anti-social behaviour orders to be issued

Caroline Hunter, one of the report's authors, said landlords must consider the broader picture.

"It's a complex problem. There are different kinds of nuisance neighbours - some fairly simple and straight forward, some much more serious.

"And you can't have a single solution that will deal with the problem."

She said "variable solutions" and a multi-agency approach were necessary to tackle the problem of nuisance neighbours.

Ben Taylor, a solicitor working in Manchester, says that while many evictions are justified some families are subjected to complaints simply because they do not fit in.

"I've acted for tenants who have clear mental health problems who find themselves subject to injunctions or possession proceedings, when they should have been provided with care by the very local authority taking them to court."