BAD housing conditions have long been one of East Lancashire's biggest problems.

But plans to bulldoze homes in the Redearth area of Darwen classified as "unfit" have caused considerable anger.

Local residents claim money should have been spent on renovating their houses, which are to be replaced by a new school.

People in parts of Pendle and Burnley have also complained that their homes should be refurbished rather than bulldozed.

Now as phase two of the Phoenix Project to revive rundown areas is unveiled in Accrington, we see a similarly angry reaction.

Some houses will need to be knocked down because renovation is too costly but there is a worry that wholesale demolition has been carried out in some parts of the country without sufficient attention being paid first to the possibility of restoration.

And regeneration bodies need to keep in mind that people are the key to all this. Communities mean something and should not be broken up willy nilly.

Also there are genuine fears like that of Christine Smith who says: "The council knows there is not a chance that we will find another house in a nice, quiet cul-de-sac for the money we are going to get for ours."

Bodies like Elevate have to convince people like Christine that the future will be better than the past.