Former neighbours of the Churchleys branded them "scum" on hearing the family, who terrorised St John's Lane in Bedminster for years, had been sent to jail.

A 75-year-old neighbour who lives a few doors down from number 211, now unoccupied and with an overgrown front garden, said they belonged in prison.

He said: "They deserved it. They were a load of scum balls. They were no good and it's now good news that they're in inside where they belong.

"They are a horrible lot. They are now in the best place they can be at."

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "It's definitely going to be better around here without them."

One man who also lives near to the house from which Diane Churchley ordered her sons and nephews to teach Alan Riddock a lesson, said the family were well-known troublemakers.

"I saw them about, but I did not know them very well," he said. "At weekends, I would see them out a lot, often making a lot of noise.

"They were not a very nice family at all. They had a bad reputation. Everyone around here knew them. I'm pleased they're here no more. Good riddance I say."

One resident of St John's Lane said that five years ago, the Park House pub was a nice family venue, but its atmosphere changed when a new landlord arrived.

He said: "I used to go there quite a lot, but I hadn't been for several years before it closed.

"It used to be a lovely family pub, a really nice pub with good entertainment, somewhere you could go any time of the day.

"I have lived on this road for 26 years and it's definitely changed for the worse. I blame the drugs. That's where the problem is these days."