RESIDENTS living on a crime-hit estate say drug dealing has been curbed by police action but claim Hyndburn Homes should be doing more to stop anti-social louts.
Terrified residents on the Norfolk Grove estate, Church, contacted the Observer back in May demanding the nightmare must stop after their community was plagued by drug dealers, children running wild, drunken louts and vandals.
The Observer was handed exclusive camera footage showing a house visited by 24 people within four hours and police immediately carried out a drug raid on the estate.
A concerned father who did not want to be named said this week: "It has definitely quietened down and there has been a big improvement since the police took action. The dealers have moved away and the police are more visible than they used to be.
"But we still have problems with tenants breaking their tenancy agreements and the general mess of the estate."
A mother-of-three who also did not want to be named for fear of reprisals said: "Loads of tenants are out in the street drinking and shouting until all hours of the morning.
"Hyndburn Homes needs to tell tenants it won't put up with their behaviour. The estate is like a pig-sty. There's litter and broken glass all over the floor of the children's play area."
The responsibility for former council houses on the estate recently transferred to Hyndburn Homes, which has secured £35M for investment across the borough.
David Perry, neighbourhood manager for Hyndburn Homes, said: "The police have taken effective action on the estate and we have been part of that process.We always follow up complaints about anti-social behaviour and problem tenants and we have a number of on-going investigations on the estate.
"Each month we carry out inspections and identify any housing or environmental problems. If rubbish or smashed glass is a problem then we will deal with it and if it falls outside our responsibility we won't just leave it, we will report it to the relevant agency."
He added: "We have just taken over control of the housing and it will take time to implement changes and improvements. We now have more money to deal with properties and anti-social behaviour and I'm sure that in the next 12 months tenants will see positive results and confidence in Hyndburn Homes will grow."
