A Bolton Council estate has been branded "a vision of hell" by Home Office minister Tom Sackville.

Mr Sackville, MP for Bolton West, has called for urgent action from Bolton Council after residents on the estate off Hulton Lane, Deane, claimed their lives are being taken over by drug culture and crime.

But his comments brought an angry response from Housing Committee Chairman Cllr Noel Spencer who slammed government spending cuts and accused him of "damn cheek".

Several houses on Kendrew Road are empty and have been sealed with metal panels to prevent them being used as drug dens.

A number of streets in the area also have unoccupied houses on them which have also been sealed up to keep burglars and drug addicts out. Mr Sackville said that the estate had reached a crossroads in terms of the quality of housing that it offers. It could spiral downwards if nothing is done, or upwards if positive action is taken to improve the area. Calling on Bolton Council to address the situation, Mr Sackville called for: A full-scale clean-up programme

Evictions where necessary

Police involvement

Zero tolerance of drug takers living in the properties.

He said: "A council estate with multi-vacancy properties is an example of how not to manage housing.

"The situation on the estate represents a failure by the landlord.

"Good, sound houses are being wasted. Bolton Council should stop housing drug dealers and be selective about who they let houses to.

"The area needs cleaning up to give some hope to prospective tenants that the houses are worth living in."

Mr Sackville said there are also housing associations with the same problems. Residents in the Kendrew Road area claim their lives are being taken over by drug culture and crime.

Mrs Glynis Woodcock, 48, said it was ironic that some properties had been empty for several months when there was a housing shortage. She said drugs are sold openly on the street.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said needles used by addicts were often found in privets and grass: "Some people have saved up and moved into private rented accommodation.

"People don't want to come and live around here. Many of us want to get off the estate but there is nowhere to go."

Cllr Noel Spencer, Chairman of Bolton Council's Housing Committee, described Mr Sackville's attack as "a damn cheek": "We take these matters very seriously. Major external refurbishments were carried out last year.

"There are 754 properties on that patch and only about one per cent of them are vacant." "Mr Sackville's comments are more than a little ironic in view of the fact that his Government withdrew the Estate Action Scheme and the funds for it.

"It is council policy to repossess a house if the tenant is convicted of dealing drugs. Mr Sackville can help us by persuading his Government to make it easier for us to do that.

"But the Kendrew Road area is no worse than many others in the town."

Cllr Spencer said Government spending on public sector housing was a fraction of what it had been in 1979.

"I accept that Bolton South is a problem area in respect of properties which are difficult to let. But our record is still one of the best in the country. Mr Sackville must be comparing our housing with that on another planet.

"The Kendrew Road area is still a high priority for attention and environmental improvement in spite of the withdrawal of the Estate Action Scheme."

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