A mother and daughter have been handed a criminal behaviour order after abusing and threatening neighbours and carrying out late night cleaning at a block of flats where they live.

Shefikat Vata and her daughter Anila, who live in Gunn Road in Swanscombe, were handed the two-year order by magistrates in Sevenoaks after failing to comply with an earlier notice issued to them by Dartford council.

The court found both guilty of breaching Community Protection Notices (CPN) for causing harassment, alarm and distress to people they verbally abused or threatened.

The pair also undertook late-night cleaning activities which disturbed neighbours on a daily basis.

Magistrates ruled the noisy cleaning was being undertaken late in the evening and resulted in the pair banging railings, whilst other issues included the pouring of fluids into gardens with no concern for other people or their property.

This was despite the fact the block of flats is cleaned weekly by a council employed cleaning contractor.

The order bans the pair from undertaking any irrational cleaning acts at the flats and from using abusive, insulting, threatening, or intimidating language or behaviour towards any neighbour or visitor within 300 metres of the flats.

Furthermore, it bans them from instructing, permitting or encouraging others to act in an anti-social manner likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any resident, visitor or person within 300 metres of the block.

Vata, 49, was fined £180 as a result of breaching the CPN and was ordered to pay £300 costs and her daughter, 25, was find £450 and ordered to pay £800 costs.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite said: "It’s reassuring to see that this sort of irrational and abusive behaviour towards residents isn’t being tolerated, and that offenders of this nature receive the necessary penalties they deserve.

"No one should have to put up with regular disturbances and plain nastiness from their neighbours, and so it’s important that we’re clamping down on this sort of conduct.”