Dozens of placard-carrying protesters turned up today to fight the demolition of houses and blocks of flats on Buttershaw estate.

They include the shabby blocks which featured in the hit film Rita, Sue and Bob Too, penned by the late Andrea Dunbar who lived in Butter-shaw.

But the Defend Council Housing Campaign says the flats and houses should be retained in Council ownership and could be refurbished.

The protesters say green space would also be lost through proposals to build private and housing association properties on the land.

The scheme would be carried out by the Royds Community Association, which is spearheading a major regeneration scheme with the help of a £35million grant from the Government's Single Regener-ation budget.

Residents were today signing petitions as campaigners stood in Reevey Road West, in front of rows of boarded-up houses waiting to be bulldozed.

But Peter Eccles, chairman of the Royds Community Association, said one-to-one consultation had been held with all tenants, who were overwhelmingly in favour of it.

He said most of the 232 homes were hard-to-let flats and people in Bratherton Arbor, who were concerned about the loss of four bedroom houses, had been moved into similar properties.

The replacement of council homes with new private homes in the nearby Woodside estate had proved that people could afford them because they were sold immediately.

He said Royds also had a say in rent when housing associations replaced Council properties, and their priority was to look after the tenants.

But Gary Browes, 28, who has moved out of his flat in The Ridings to live with his father, said: "It isn't right to see three and four-bedroom houses being pulled down when they could be improved."

Christian Hallas, 26, said: "I am worried that private landlords would ask for bonds."

And tenant Adam Deacon said there was great concern about what the properties would be replaced with. The Council was getting rid of good properties which could be refurbished.

The authority says it cannot afford the millions of pounds needed to refurbish and repair the 23,000 homes.