THE scheme to penalise landlords in The Haulgh if they fail to bring their property up to scratch sounds like excellent sense. The area is plagued by crime, in particular prostitution, and some tenants there have been living in rundown, multi-occupancy homes which lack even the most basic amenities.

The plight of residents of The Haulgh has been thrown into the spotlight following the murder of teenage prostitute Carly Bateman. But the suffering of ordinary, decent people there has been going on for years.

Now, Bolton Council is setting up a hardline scheme ordering landlords to spend thousands of pounds to create more upmarket accommodation. The thinking -- perfectly right, in our opinion -- is that better housing and higher rents would be less attractive to pimps, prostitutes and drug pushers.

Rogue landlords who fail to comply with the new renovation ruling will be told they cannot allow tenants to take up residence. Ignoring the order could result in a maximum fine of £5,000.

At last this sounds like some sort of real action for these besieged residents. The council is in the ideal situation for enforcing basic living rules and encouraging landlords to upgrade their property, or face a reduction in their livelihood.

The Haulgh is a once-proud area which still boasts plenty of smart homes. Others could return to their former glories with attention and renovation. Improving property and the environment is a tried and tested way of upgrading an area -- and discouraging crime and its perpetrators. The residents of the Haulgh deserve some action, and finally it sounds like there is some light in the gloom. We await the next moves with interest. End of road for works SIGHS of relief will be heard echoing around the Bolton area at the news that the St Peter's Way roadworks were finishing today. The latest bridge repair and strengthening scheme was the end of a multi-million pound scheme first started in 1996, and it is 10 days ahead of schedule.

Cllr Guy Harkin also supplied the statement that is a great Christmas present for local drivers: No further development work is planned for the busy road. Motorists have been very patient, in spite of massive disruption and queues. Now, they can use St Peter's Way safe in the knowledge that the system is secure, and optimistic about a roadworks-free future -- at least for now.