RESIDENTS are demanding action from the Council to block-off an area of land which has become a haven for late night drinkers and troublemakers.

People living in newly-built bungalows in St Catherine's Drive, Farnworth, are fed up with youths congregating on a rough patch of land and causing trouble.

They want the area to be landscaped and then fenced-off to stop anyone meeting there.

Everyone in the drive has signed a petition, which has been sent to the Council in a bid to have the area cut-off and residents are also keen to hold a meeting with Council officers.

But as the land leads to Cherry Tree Primary School in Highfield Road, the Council has been asked to leave it open for pupils to use as a footpath.

Ann Greenhalgh, aged 55, who moved into the Manchester Methodist Housing Association owned bungalows in March, has had two car windows smashed, ornamental lions stolen and garden fencing ripped-up.

She said: "These are really beautiful bungalows and most of the people living here are disabled and don't want to have to put up with all the trouble. We just want the area fenced-off so we can feel safe.

"There is no need for a footpath through the drive to the school because we only ever see a few children using it and it's not safe anyway. There is another footpath to the school on the other side of the land, so there is really no need for two paths so close to each other."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "We have no plans to close access to this land. It was always in the plans to leave this as an open route when the housing scheme was first approved. The school has historically had a route across that land and they asked for it to be kept open when the development was first planned. But the Manchester Methodist Housing Association has given us a sum of money to landscape the area and a scheme is being drawn up. It should be much better when the work has been finished because there will be no undergrowth for children to hide in and cause a nuisance." RESIDENTS are demanding action from the Council to block-off an area of land which has become a haven for late night drinkers and troublemakers.

People living in newly built bungalows in St Catherine's Drive, Farnworth, are fed up with youths congregating on a rough patch of land and causing trouble.

They want the area to be landscaped and then fenced-off to stop anyone meeting there.

Everyone in the drive has signed a petition which has been sent to the Council in a bid to have the area cut-off and residents are also keen to hold a meeting with Council officers.

But as the land leads to Cherry Tree Primary School in Highfield Road, the Council has been asked to leave it open for pupils to use as a footpath.

Ann Greenhalgh, aged 55, who moved into the Manchester Methodist Housing Association owned bungalows in March, has had two car windows smashed, ornamental lions stolen and garden fencing ripped-up.

She said: "These are really beautiful bungalows and most of the people living here are disabled and don't want to have to put up with all the trouble.

"We just want the area fenced-off so we can feel safe.

"There is no need for a footpath through the drive to the school because we only ever see a few children using it and it's not safe anyway.

"There is another footpath to the school on the other side of the land, so there is really no need for two paths so close to each other."

Her neighbour, Joyce Roberts, added: "We've come here for a bit of peace and quiet and just feel like nobody is helping us."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "We have no plans to close access to this land.

"It was always in the plans to leave this as an open route when the housing scheme was first approved.

"The school has historically had a route across that land and they asked for it to be kept open when the development was first planned.

"But the Manchester Methodist Housing Association has given us a sum of money to landscape the area and a scheme is being drawn up.

"It should be much better when the work has been finished because there will be no undergrowth for children to hide in and cause a nuisance."