GWILYM Hall (Letters, April 17) says there may be any number of reasons why prospective council tenants are reluctant to move to the Roman Road estate in Blackburn.

He cites ill-informed public opinion and people hearing bad stories about the estate.

Let me set the record straight.

Recently, Roman Road residents have been involved in inquiries about murder, prostitution, the growing of and dealing in illegal substances, sexual assault, muggings, attempted rape, arson, car theft, burglary, damage to and theft from occupied and empty premises.

Just the ordinary, everyday occurrences of a nice quiet estate.

Groups of young people, male and female, wander the estate offering verbal and physical abuse. Some of them are not even in their teens.

They drop litter all over the place and deface buildings with graffiti.

Old people are afraid to walk along the streets after dark. The local store had to have a security guard on the premises during opening hours.

The building erected for the use of the community had its windows broken within hours of them being installed.

The landscaped areas, created amid much publicity, have been vandalised; the wooden seats set on fire and the plants and trees damaged or destroyed.

My neighbours and I have had homes and garden sheds broken into and items stolen. Our cars have been stolen and damaged and items stolen.

Even the trains that pass the estate are not safe from vandalism and their passengers are put at risk.

There are good people on the estate but, unfortunately, the good they do is outweighed by the ones who are not good.

It must be nice for Gwilym Hall to be able to leave the estate at the end of the day - Those of us who live there cannot.

Name and address received.

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