Ronnie Mason, 77, made a stand against the problems in the area where he lives in Hartlepool, prompting others to come forward and make statements.

It led to the issues being resolved and Mr Mason was named winner in the national Take A Stand awards.

Due to his health he could not go to the event in London and so a ceremony is being held on Monday in the town.

Mr Mason was nominated for the award by Paddy Law, tenancy relations and enforcement manager at Housing Hartlepool, the not-for-profit company which took over the running of council housing earlier this year.

'Showed leadership'

He said: "We had a situation where we suspected that a house was being used by drug dealers and there was a lot of violence and other serious anti-social behaviour occurring in the area as a result.

"Ronnie eventually decided that enough was enough and made a stand.

"It was his bravery which ultimately prompted other people to come forward and make statements."

Hartlepool Council launched legal action to obtain a possession order on the property and the matter was settled through the Orders of Court process.

Mr Law said: "Since all this has happened, there hasn't been any bother and the area has returned to how it used to be.

"That is down to Ronnie's stand and the leadership he showed."

The award comes with �1,000 to be spent on measures to tackle anti-social behaviour.