FIVE problem families have moved out of town rather than face eviction, thanks to a new scheme aimed at ridding estates of nuisance neighbours.

The Safe Estates Initiative, launched last month by the police and Rossendale Council, targets families who are causing problems and can lead to evictions.

The scheme has already had successes, with five families choosing to move out of the area, a meeting of the Rossendale Police and Community Forum in Bacup was told.

Chief Inspector Mike Cunningham said it was one of several crime-busting partnership initiatives by the police and other agencies which were showing results.

He told the meeting the Drugs Programme for Bacup, which supports GPs in tackling drug abuse, was helping keep drugs off the streets by ensuring that patients who were prescribed the heroin substitute methadone took their medicine on the premises.

Chief Inspector Cunningham added: "People have been using methadone as a currency.

"This is a small but effective way of keeping it off the streets."

The meeting heard a new Burglary Team which has been running in the Bacup area for only three weeks has already led to the arrest of 11 local and prolific burglars who are now in custody or on bail awaiting trial. Ten search warrants have led to the recovery of hundreds of pounds worth of stolen property.

And Operation Safeguard, in partnership with Age Concern, continues to provide free extra security, such as safety chains and better locks, for older people.

The meeting heard in the last financial year burglaries in Rossendale have dropped by 13.5 per cent, and there had been a drop in the number of public disorder and nuisance incidents which made people's lives a misery.

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