PENSIONER Dennis Scanes is  facing eviction from his Exeter  home following a long-running  dispute with neighbours.

Scanes, 70, who has lived  alone in a council flat at Aldens  Road, Alphington, for five  years, has diabetes and suffers  from depression.

He claims he could be left  with nowhere to live if the eviction goes ahead.

But Exeter City Council says  it has run out of patience with  the pensioner after years of  anti-social behaviour.

As revealed in the Echo,  Scanes was convicted by city  magistrates in 2008 of making  homophobic remarks to his disabled gay neighbours following  a three-year campaign of abuse  against them.

Scanes  was said to have made  the two men’s lives hell by playing loud music, swearing at  them and generally being  anti-social towards them.

His defence counsel told the  court there was no evidence to  suggest Scanes, despite being a  “cantankerous old man”, was  homophobic.

Scanes has denied being homophobic.

The city council secured a  possession order that was suspended as long as Scanes did not  contact named neighbours  or  use abusive or offensive language.

Last month a county court  hearing was told he had spoken  to the specified neighbours,  written to them and stuck out  his tongue and made a hand  gesture at one.

District Judge Andrew Harvey said he found little evidence  that Scanes was remorseful or  that his behaviour would improve.

 He also noted that Scanes had  called one of his neighbours a  “liar” and another “arrogant  and pig-headed”.

The judge decided that the  council could apply for  Scanes’  eviction from Aldens Road.  Scanes told the Echo: “I don’t  know what I have done wrong.

“I didn’t know what was being  said at the hearing because I  didn’t have my hearing aid on.

“I would like to move away —  but the council will not offer me  any alternative and it has made  it clear I will have to go to the  private sector.

“I will hardly get a reference  for a landlord if the council is  evicting me. I don’t know what I  can do.”

A spokesman for the city  council said: “Following years  of inappropriate and threatening behaviour towards tenants  and council staff, we are in the  process of evicting Mr Scanes  from his property.

“On a number of occasions,  the council and the courts have  given Mr Scanes the opportunity to mend his ways and reverse  his behaviour.

 “Unfortunately he has chosen  not to and we are now awaiting a  date for his eviction.”