Web revellers wreck family home

The house is being professionally cleaned

About 200 youngsters caused damage put at £20,000 to a family home after a party organised on a website.

Police said a teenage girl used the social networking site MySpace to advertise the party while her parents were away from home on Easter Monday.

The 17-year-old's mother has described the party as "house rape" and called the revellers "worse than animals".

Guests urinated on a wedding dress and stole jewellery from the house in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham.

'Absolutely trashed'

Some party-goers also swung from ceiling light fittings, stubbed out cigarettes on the carpet, vomited in buckets throughout the house and barricaded the back door to prevent neighbours from intervening.

It's absolutely trashed, and I hope no-one else has to go through what me and my wife have these last few days Teenager's father

The girl's parents returned on Tuesday morning to find the trail of destruction at their £230,000 house in Chipchase Court.

They have now made a formal complaint of criminal damage to police.

The sixth former's 48-year-old mother, who does not want to be identified, said: "I told her that I did not want any kids or drink in the house while I was away and I'm furious.

"It's worse than a burglary, I can't believe it.

"Whoever has come in here are worse than animals, it's like house rape."

She said her daughter, who has denied creating the message on the website, was now staying with friends for a "cooling off" period.

'Traumatic' experience

The youngster had expected 30 or 40 guests but 200 turned up.

Her father said the experience had been traumatic.

"It's absolutely trashed, and I hope no-one else has to go through what me and my wife have these last few days."

A Durham Police spokesman said some people travelled hundreds of miles to be at the party.

He said: "There has been a formal complaint from the owners of criminal damage to interior fixtures and fittings.

"Inquiries are under way and we plan to speak in due course to as many of the party-goers as we can."