RESIDENTS say ‘horrendous’ anti-social behaviour on an estate is making their lives a misery.

People living on the Flower Estate in Harper Green told councillors at their area forum meeting,at Farnworth Cricket Club' that the problem had spiralled out of control.

Pat Duckworth, chair and treasurer of the Flower Estate Residents Association, said that the issue had become much worse over since Harper Green Leisure Centre closed down one year ago.

It is now owned by Harper Green School and youth activities such as the Kid-a-Quid clubs the association ran four nights a week at the centre have not been replaced.

Ms Duckworth said: “Since 12 months ago, because Harper Green Leisure Centre closed down it has resulted in anti-social behaviour escalating beyond control.

“I have tried and tried on several occasions to contact Harper Green School with no result whatsoever. I have told them that if they reopen the leisure centre in the evenings I would do what I have done for the past four years previous to it closing down.

“I raised something like £21,000 to keep the leisure centre open. Any child in Farnworth up to the age of 16 was able to go into the leisure centre for two hours a night for free.

“We raised all that money for that and 12 months ago, when they shut the leisure centre, that finished and, as a result, the anti-social behaviour in the area has escalated beyond control.”

Another resident, who said she lived near the Carnation Road roundabout, said the last six months had been ‘horrendous’

She said: “For 32 years I have lived on that roundabout and in the last six months two people have put their houses up for sale and so have we.

“Why should we move out of an area we have lived in all our lives?”

Ward councillor Sue Haworth said she had feared the leisure centre would not reopen to the public when she sat on the Children’s Services and Culture scrutiny committee.

She said: “I was concerned about that as I knew the worst case scenario was that the academy would not back using the leisure centre for community use.”

And she added that ‘appalling increase’ in youth problems and anti-social behaviour was a result of cuts to funding and services.

She said: “We feel the impact of austerity in this country, the north has been hit hard and Bolton has been hit hard. You can see that we are trying, we want things to improve, but it’s worse than it used to be. We are living with the awful consequences of having a lot of services taken out, we all have to live it.”

PCSOs Nadine Coombs and Jordan Richmond urged residents to make sure they report all instances of anti-social behaviour or criminal activity.