NUISANCE neighbours could become a thing of the past, if a special summit with Liverpool City Council proves fruitful.

Representatives from Liverpool's anti-social behaviour unit, set up to tackle problem neighbours, have agreed to visit Preston in September to explain how the unit operates.

The visit - dubbed 'a summit on nuisance' by organisers, Preston's Liberal Democrats - follows a fact-finding trip to Merseyside last month by Lib Dem housing spokesman Councillor Tony Jones and committee member Coun Joe Fitzgerald.

The Liverpool unit has already received acclaim for the way it operates with seconded police officers and academics, and the way it covers all types of housing - private, council and housing association.

Representatives from Preston's other political groups, housing associations, voluntary forums, youth groups, ethnic minority organisations, town hall departments, the police and academic bodies have been invited to attend the summit.

Coun Jones said: "We were very impressed with this initiative when we visited Liverpool last month.

"I am delighted they have accepted our invitation to come to Preston in September."

Coun Fitzgerald added: "A unit like this in Preston would greatly help councillors in addressing neighbourhood nuisance, which is a growing problem."

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