THE ringleader of a gang who terrorised a couple and beat them up on their driveway because they are gay could be evicted from her home.

Bosses at Hyde Housing Association, which owns the properties where the savage beating of two women took place, have vowed to take action against Lydia Lake following the homophobic attack.

As revealed yesterday, Nina Meffen and her partner Carol Cashmore were battered outside their North Baddesley home after being surrounded by a gang of youths.

Nina, 36, was left blood-soaked and with severe bruising and a broken nose during the assault, which was witnessed by her daughter Jodie, 10.

Carol, 42, was also repeatedly hit over the head and suffered concussion during the attack, which happened on July 31 last year as they prepared to go on holiday.

Lake, 18, and her friends Thomas Young, 20, and Charlotte Cousins, 18, pleaded guilty to their part in the violence, which was captured on CCTV cameras which Nina and Carol had installed outside their homes following a campaign of homophobic incidents.

None of the trio went to prison - a move which incensed their friend Ana Matronic - a member of the pop group Scissor Sisters.

Ana met Carol and Nina at Glastonbury in 2004. The attack upset her so much that she dedicated a song to them at last year's Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

The outcome has pleased bosses at Hyde who said they will now do everything in their power to take appropriate action - including ultimately evicting Lake, who still lives in the same road as her victims.

A Hyde Housing Association spokesman said: "We will be talking with our residents with a view to pursuing further action against those Hyde residents found guilty of the crime and ultimately, this could include eviction."