Children on a new housing development in Worcester Park are being subjected to a strict curfew and risk losing their home if they ignore it.

The Hamptons is an exclusive development of New England-style housing which has been built on a former sewage site and has a variety of features, including a residents-only gym, tennis courts and a wetland area.

As with all new developments, social housing has been built on the outskirts of the estate and it is these parts that are subjected to the curfew, which was imposed by Thames Valley Housing to prevent antisocial behaviour.

Angela Hough has two teenage children and knows that if they ignore the curfew, they risk losing their home.

She said: "The 9pm curfew only affects the children aged 14-years-old or younger. It's funny because at 9pm all of the kids disappear back to their homes. I can see why they've done it, they want to keep the area nice and it's not too much of a problem really because on school nights they come in around then anyway.

"My son Fraser is 13 years old so he has to come in at 9pm. But my daughter is 15 years old so she is allowed to stay out. However, they're not supposed to sit on the grass in groups of more than four because this could come across as intimidating."

Nevertheless, there appears to be confusion over the agreement with some residents believing it affects everyone. One mum said: "We all have to be in by 9pm, it's adults as well. They don't want people wandering around the estate at night. But it doesn't really bother me as I'm in by that time anyway."

A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Housing which manages the homes said the decision to impose a curfew had been made to keep the community safe.

She said: "As part of the community agreement at Worcester Park, residents are asked that, if they have children, they be at home and properly supervised by 9pm. This is to ensure the safety of the children and to minimise antisocial behaviour.

"The community agreement is signed by the resident, and outlines what may happen if they or their children do engage in antisocial behaviour. It is not legally binding. However, it provides a clear statement of intent by the resident which, if broken, can be used as support evidence to enforce one of a number of options to elicit a positive change in behaviour, such as an acceptable behaviour contract or an antisocial behaviour order. In extreme cases it will be used to initiate a homes possession order from the courts."