TENANTS living on a 'ghost town' estate are pleading to be moved after they were abandoned at the mercy of local thugs.

Just 12 tenants are still living in a three-storey block of flats in St Austin Road, Avenham.

The other two blocks have already been emptied and boarded up as the landlord, Avenquest, prepares to bulldoze the area.

But before the remaining tenants have been able to move out thugs, prostitutes and drug dealers have moved in, and, according to residents, locals such as student George Buck and terrified pensioner Elsie Dawson have become prisoners in their own homes.

George is now pleading for the occupants of his block to be relocated in a bid to end their nightmare.

His plea follows a series of incidents, which includes:

a disabled pensioner's car being wrecked;

a man's flat being burned out after he refused to give money to local thugs calling themselves 'The Avenham Youth Defence';

Elsie's flat being daubed in graffiti and splattered with eggs.

George, who now has a dog for security, said: "You only have to look around here to see what has happened. Everywhere is boarded up so people think it is an ideal place to commit crime.

"The prostitutes and dealers are here, but the main problem is the thugs. They are only school age, but terrorise us.

"They have tried to break into my house countless times and they have made the area a no-go zone at night."

According to George the thugs, some as young as five, have torched lock-ups, pulled railings from balconies and daubing George's block with the letters AYD. Elsie said: "I only leave my home during school hours. I am frightened about what will happen next."

George added: "I think we are being kept here to make sure the local shops have business before their leases are up. Even the police have forgotten about us and don't like to respond here."

Sue Lacey, from Avenquest, which took responsibility for the Avenham estate in June, said: "Our plan is to demolish just under 300 homes and build just more than 100. This has to be done phase by phase or it won't work."

A spokesman for Preston Police said no areas were considered 'no-go' zones.

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