RESIDENTS battling to improve their once-proud neighbourhood told a Government minister they were trapped in worthless homes and their streets were blighted by nuisance neighbours and rundown houses.

People from the west Accrington area, in and around Blackburn Road, told Local Government and Housing Minister Hilary Armstrong they felt "abandoned" because their neighbourhood had suffered from years of neglect.

During an informal meeting at newly-refurbished homeless shelter and community centre the Hyndburn Christian Stable, many residents said they lived in good houses which were virtually worthless because of the area they were in. They claimed homes in west Accrington were worth £10,000 but could fetch up to £50,000 in places like Clitheroe.

Joan Pilkington, of Princess Street, said: "People are not just angry here, they are in pain. They can't sleep at night because of nuisance neighbours, their houses are worthless, the pavements need doing and people are at the end of their tethers.

"They want to move, but can't because their houses are worthless. People who spend money doing them up might as well throw it down the drain. You don't like to tell people where you live because they look at you like you are scum of the earth." Fellow resident Joan Marsden said: "We feel like we are being abandoned. Council charges go up every year and the problems remain."

Bernard Sullivan, chairman of the West Accrington Residents' Association, said: "This area has the highest population of owner-occupiers in the borough. They haven't got a cat in hell's chance of moving out. The owners of the houses haven't made it like that, it is because of years of neglect."

Mr Sullivan said that in the four years since the association was formed, people had started standing up to local troublemakers and attending meetings to try and improve the area. He told Ms Armstrong: "The people are starting to take action. You have got to listen to us."

Ms Armstrong said she wanted to take ideas from residents round the country to draw up regeneration policies.

She said: "Nothing will change unless you come together to change things. It is good there are people like you around."

Asked about about a reduction in the amount of Single Regeneration Budget money being handed out this year, Ms Armstrong said there was only a limited amount and admitted: "A lot of areas have been bidding for things which they ain't going to get."