WHEN we first moved into the Infirmary area of Blackburn, it was nice with clean back streets, because the people took pride in their surroundings.

Then the controlling Labour council hived off the housing stock to Twin Valley as, at the time, it made economic sense.

Tenants could remain with Twin Valley or go with private landlords.

There were a few properties to let so some families chose the latter.

It was then that the area started to go down. As a result, people who had lived in the area all their lives started moving out, resulting in more properties being snapped up by private landlords.

Then came housing clearance, forcing the tenants to move to all four corners of Blackburn and leaving Infirmary looking like a moonscape.

Then to their credit, Places for People built two small private dwellings but at present, we who have lived in the area all those years are surrounded by dirty, littered streets.

Taking on board the natural progression of people on the move, I feel that in the next six years the new estate built by Places for People will go down the same road as the rest of the Infirmary area.

B J Booth (Mr), Rockcliffe Street, Blackburn.