Police are blitzing a housing estate where neighbours had to defend their homes with baseball bats.

A group of 20 teenagers set fire to cats, threw bricks at windows and daubed houses with graffiti during a midnight rampage across a housing estate in Durrington, Worthing.

Youth worker Sue O'Keeffe, of Manitoba Way, called police but then had "child molester" and "police informer" sprayed in purple paint across her white minibus.

Bricks and eggs were thrown at homes and the youths shouted and screamed until 3am.

People living in Shelby Road, Manitoba Way and Vancouver Road have taken to defending their drives with snooker cues, baseball bats and golf clubs.

Worthing police said yesterday an unmarked police car had been sent to survey the estate and officers have now drawn up a list of 15 suspects.

Inspector Martin Pattenden, of Worthing police, said: "Community safety officers have built up intelligence about youths engaged in antisocial behaviour.

"We are either going to be writing to or visiting the parents of those involved."