A HOUSING estate that is plagued by drugs, violence and yobs could be on the mend, after a team of social regeneration experts was sent in to sort it out.

Community workers in The Pungle estate in Westhoughton say crack and heroin addiction are rife, domestic abuse is commonplace and residents are too scared to leave their houses at night because of the gangs of yobs that prowl the streets.

The estate has also seen gang warfare and stabbings, and many people live in constant fear because they cannot afford to pay loan sharks.

The problems became so bad that residents in the estates 151 houses threatened in June to withhold their rent if their landlords, Countour Housing, did not sort it out.

Now things could be about to change, as a team of social regeneration experts, the Roots project, has been given funding for a two-year mission to improve life on the estate.

Their aim is to set up a community centre, give drugs counselling, establish a youth group and help people get into education, training and work.

Liz Douglas, from Bolton, set up the Roots project in May this year after deciding that she wanted to help people in deprived communities.

She and her project was invited to tackle The Pungle after a chance meeting with Shanine Meadowcroft from Contour Housing.

They will be based in a house on the estate and have secured an initial grant of £2,500 for their work.

She said: “The aim is to get the residents involved in the planning, evaluating, and delivery of the project, which will increase their confidence, hopefully leading to education and then employment.

“We want to reduce anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, drug dependency and unwanted pregnancies.”

More than 70 residents visited the community house when the launch party was held on Wednesday. They were given free IT lessons, massages and an introduction to services that can help them.

It is now hoped that the residents will take over and run the centre themselves.

Carol Price, aged 48, of Pinfold Close, said: “I think it’s good that it’s going to bring the community together.

“There is nothing on this side of Westhoughton for the kids to do at all.”

Shanine Meadowcroft from Contour Housing said: “We’ve had a lot of problems with anti-social behaviour and people not paying rent. We want to make life a lot better for people living there and make sure people are happy where they live.”

julian.thorpe@theboltonnews.uk