BLACKBURN'S worst housing problems are well on the way to being solved, according to a Government minister.

Phil Hope was given a tour of Mosley Street yesterday to see the work that has begun to regenerate the area.

Mr Hope, a parliamentary under secretary with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was in East Lancashire to check on the progress of the Elevate programme.

Blackburn, along with Burnley, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Pendle, has been told it can bid for a share of £500million to breath new life into areas where the standard of housing has become a problem.

Earlier in the year the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott warned councils they would have to prove their ability to deliver the plans or face being left behind.

Blackburn Inner North West, which includes Bank Top, Wensley Fold, Mill Hill, Griffin and Corporation Park; Blackburn Inner South East, which includes Whitebirk, Intack, Audley, Queens Park and Infirmary, and Central Darwen, which includes Sudell, Marsh House, Sunnyhurst and Earcroft, are the areas set to benefit.

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Sir Bill Taylor, and Wensley Fold councillor, Mohammed Khan, joined Mr Hope on the tour.

After being shown the houses that are being demolished in Mosley Street, Mr Hope said he was confident the council could deliver.

Mr Hope said: "There is a serious problem here with houses that have come to the end of their life but I have been impressed by the councillors and the officers here.

"They are consulting with the local community, which is an essential part of the programme. It is important the people who live here are supportive of the council's ambitions.

"The Government wants to see this money spent and we want to do that quickly."