NO OTHER landlord in the country is as tough on so-called neighbours from hell as Medina Housing Association.

The organisation has already undertaken some of the highest-profile actions against troublesome tenants - and is poised to break new ground in pursuit of its "fair but firm" doctrine.

The Island may not exactly be seen as Dodge City but the severity of some of the behaviour tackled by Medina has been shocking.

Courts have been told of young children bludgeoning baby rabbits and kittens to death, of threats to kill, the brandishing of knives and baseball bats at terrified neighbours, brazen drug dealing, youngsters urinating over washing as well as almost round-the-clock noise disturbances.

But such is Medina's determination to take on such antisocial behaviour, the association has even employed former SAS men to gather evidence against bad tenants.

It has also used all the legal powers available to it and has even tried to shape the law when its efforts have run into a legislative cul-de-sac.

The approach has catapulted the association - and the Island - into the frontline of the battle against antisocial behaviour.

Its cases have attracted nationwide TV and press interest in cases - notably the evictions of a 79-year-old and, according to the Daily Mail, Britain's most obnoxious family.

In the industry and the trade press, the association is seen as a trailblazer in terms of using all legal powers available to it in order to remove individuals or families who are making life miserable for neighbours.

That high profile is set to continue as it embarks on a new raft of actions armed with new powers granted to housing associations under the Police Reform Act enabling them - on top of their powers of eviction - to seek Antisocial Behavioural Orders against transgressors.

Those orders could ban them from an area or compel them to be of good behaviour.

Medina's pioneering attitude may not make the association popular with those feeling its wrath but ordinary tenants are delighted.

Island MP Andrew Turner is also impressed.

"I consider Medina Housing Association to be a beacon authority in the way it deals with unruly tenants and ensuring reasonably behaved tenants can live their lives in peace."

Rex Harrison, project leader of the tenants group Island Tenants Voice, said: "I back Medina's attitude 110 per cent.

"It only takes one bad tenant to make life a misery for countless others.

"As individuals, it is difficult to do anything ourselves so having a strong association behind us is essential.

"Medina has a strong attitude and rightly so."

While robust in its actions, Medina - the Island's largest housing association with around 3,000 properties - stresses eviction hearings are taken only as a last resort. Tenants who behave reasonably have nothing to fear.

"The danger in what we are doing is that we will be perceived as being inflexible or heavy handed," said head of housing Angus Macdonald.

"But all we are doing is protecting the overwhelming majority of tenants who are well behaved.

"Our approach is popular with the tenants.

"There have been some long, complicated and tough cases we have taken on and to be told at the end of those by a tenant who has had the courage to give evidence that our action has given them back their life makes it all worthwhile.

"Though the press and TV coverage the association's cases have attracted is not in itself the reason for action, the publicity has had its benefits.

"Government guidelines say that the press can be a powerful tool in what we are doing.

"It sends a message to tenants that if they misbehave then we are prepared to take action.

"That in itself can be a deterrent.

"When tenants who are having problems realise that we are serious and that we are having success in our court action, they are more willing to give evidence.

"We are definitely seeing more and more tenants coming forward preparing to give evidence and that helps our work incredibly."

Another criticism voiced of the "firm but fair" policy is that evictions do not solve the root cause of the problems but merely move it on, adding to homelessness. But Mr Macdonald said the actions of unruly tenants often drove their well-behaved neighbours to leave their homes.

"There are numerous examples of people just abandoning their homes because they are frightened by the behaviour of a minority."