A PETITION seeking to ban a woman branded Britain’s most sadistic mother from returning to the scene of her crimes in a quiet Vale village has been backed by more than 11,000 signatures.

Eunice Spry was jailed in 2007 for 26 charges of child abuse against three children in her care during a 19-year period at her homes in Eckington, near Pershore, and Tewkesbury.

Her catalogue of abuse included forcing the children to drink bleach and urine, eat their own vomit, stand naked and cold for hours, sandpapering the skin from her daughter Victoria’s face and forcing her to remain in a wheelchair for three years after a car crash in an attempt to get compensation.

Her sentence was later reduced to 12 years, and Spry is now set to be released from prison this month.

But thousands of people, including her daughter Victoria, 28, are shocked that the terms of her release will not prevent her coming back to the place where she committed her crimes.

A total of 11,723 people have put their names to a petition to the Ministry of Justice calling for Spry to be prevented from entering or living in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

Victoria, 28, who lives in Gloucestershire, spoke out at court in May about her ordeal, saying she had been contacted by the Probation Service and warned Spry would be released in July and could be housed in Worcestershire.

She said: “I have got on with my life although knowing she is so close will be awful.”

Spry, now aged 70, split her time between the ramshackle farm house in Eckington, which is currently being redeveloped, and Tewkesbury.

The house, at the gateway to the village from Pershore, is still infamous in the village for the crimes that took place there.

Eckington’s county councillor Adrian Hardman said he can understand why people in the village, and particularly Spry’s victims, would like to have an exclusion zone in place.

He said: “I have great sympathy with the adoptive daughters view. I entirely understand her views. I think it is worth her trying it if she feels that strongly about it.

“But I think it is an issue for the courts.”

And Emily Hall - a resident of neighbouring Westmancote and columnist for the Journal’s sister paper the Worcester News, added: “It is astounding to me that the infamous child abuser from the next village, Eunice Spry, could be released and allowed to roam around both my village and the village she used to live in.

“Moreover this woman could be allowed to live or visit the children she taunted for years of their childhoods.

“Surely the terms of this woman’s released should include terms that she is not allowed to live in or visit Worcestershire as a whole.”

Victoria has also written personally to several key figures in the hope of keeping Spry at least 150 miles from her home, referring to herself as “fragile” and saying once she had seen Spry, the damage would be done.

Any exclusion order must be specially granted under the Probation Victim Contact Scheme.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed it is aware of the petition but said it would not discuss individual cases.

A spokesman said: “Serious offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and controls including restrictions on their movements.

“If they fail to comply with these conditions they can be immediately returned to prison.”

To sign the petition visit http://bit.ly/1oiYMsN.