BATTLING residents on a Crime plagued Bolton estate were today putting their demands to housing chiefs.

It will be the first time the trustees of Sutton Estate near Hunger Hill have visited the area since 1992.

Chairman of the Sutton Estate Residents' Association Mr Albert Davies was today due to meet six of the trustees in an "official" visit.

The William Sutton Estate bosses will travel from Tring in Hertfordshire to see people living on both the Sutton Estate and the Long Lane estate in Breightmet.

As previously reported in the BEN, Sutton Estate has long been plagued by criminals and vandals. Some residents claim they are scared to even go outside their homes.

Crime became so bad that the residents nicknamed the area "the estate from hell".

Mr Davies, who claims the local paper shop has been set on fire twice in the last two years, is now hoping that the residents' concerns will be addressed.

They have been campaigning for years to have extra cash injected into the area.

Mr Davies said: "There has been some modernising -- but nothing like the scale that has been seen on other estates.

"The crime has eased a bit, but there is still the odd incident.

"The residents' association were even forced to write to the chief constable of Greater Manchester who got a lot of earache from us.

"But vandalisam and hooliganism is still here all the time."

Campaigners are also hoping that plans will be afoot to have a park for local children to play in.

Anti-crime wardens will soon be up and running in nearby Hulton Lane thanks to cash from the government.

But residents on Sutton Estate fear that criminals will flee the Hulton Lane area and descend on their estate excalating problems further.

Mr Davies added: "I know that it would be a good idea to have the scheme on Sutton Estate.

"We fear that all the trouble-makers will come here."

Sutton Estate housing director Judith Winterbourne said that they were hoping to join forces with Bolton Council to arrange for the Hulton Lane warden scheme to be extended to Sutton.

Mrs Winterbourne said: "It is all part of an on-going dialogue. We work in partnership with the council and the tenants are very positive about the work we do."