FRANK Field is gaining Parliamentary support for a controversial measure to isolate families-from-hell by housing them in lorry containers - writes Geoff Barnes.

The Birkenhead MP is demanding action against anti-social families who wreck communities with persistent vile behaviour.

He has tabled a House of Commons motion calling for urgent Government action to introduce the container idea. It is intended to follow along the lines of a Dutch scheme to house hooligan families in either containers or vandal-proof iron huts.

The motion, which Mr Field said should only be used as a last resort, has already gained the support of a handful of fellow MPs.

Mr Field said: "We can't skirt around this issue any longer. We have to show these people that their behaviour will no longer be tolerated and that they don't deserve to live among decent, hard-working taxpaying families."

The matter came to a head when Mr Field learned of the actions of two "unspeakable" families which had driven neighbours from their homes.

He remarked: "Decent people were driven out by these families and their vile behaviour and they then wrecked the empty homes.

They have now been re-housed on full benefits - not in Birkenhead - so they can spread their mayhem to another decent community,

"It is madness. It is also deeply insulting to people who live decent lives and pay their taxes."

Wirral Tory group leader Cllr Jeff Green said that "on the face of it" Mr Field's proposal was "a bit extreme."

He said: "There is no question that serious consideration needs to be given to how we deal with these people, who have no sense of conscience, shame or regret about the way they wreck neighbourhoods and make people's lives a misery."

But Cllr Green insisted: "Government rules prevent us taking appropriate action. If we make people homeless the Government dictates that the local authority must house them. We need a sensible discussion on how we deal with the symptoms and to get down to the root causes of the problem."

He went on: "Frank Field's intervention is an interesting one and a provides a good starting point. We need to look at how various rules - European, Government and local - interact and try to make them complementary instead of contradictory."

Doug Jewell, campaign co-ordinator for human rights group Liberty, said: "Merely locking people in containers on the outskirts of towns will do nothing but create ghettos of crime and disorder.

"This sort of proposal offers no permanent solution - people need to address their behaviour and improve it."

He added: "You could not keep people in these cont-ainers. They would move on to make life a misery for other families. It would also stigma-tise people. If someone's address was identified as a container park the chances of getting employment would be greatly reduced. People would be trapped in a cycle of anti-social behaviour and dependency on hand-outs."