Braithwaite's notorious Unity flats are finally to be demolished.

The seven, three-storey blocks will be razed to the ground as soon as all the tenants have been moved out.

The council began moving residents last month and only 35 of the 90 flats on Coronation Way and Whinfield Drive remain occupied.

The Unity flats -- named after Yorkshire Dales valleys -- have been the focus of burglaries, arson attacks and drug taking in recent years.

They are known locally as "smack alley" and two months ago were the scene of two deaths from heroin overdoses.

The council has spent many thousands of pounds on abortive attempts to improve the flats' security, facilities and image.

But many long-term residents have already left and people living nearby complained that the flats had become a dumping ground for the dregs of society.

Braithwaite People's Association, which has long pushed for the flats' demolition, recently embarked on its own study into the blocks' future.

And residents of nearby Braithwaite Road last week called for action because they believe some tenants could be responsible for a wave of vandalism.

The demolition plans were revealed to Keighley Area Panel during a discussion of the problems facing Braithwaite Road residents.

Cllr John Prestage said councillors insisted that following demolition the area would be made secure.

Bradford Council housing director Geraldine Howley confirmed the plans yesterday in a statement to the Keighley News.

She said: "We plan to demolish Unity flats once we have found new homes for the remaining tenants."

"These flats were built in the early 1950s and a survey has discovered the flats have structural problems.

"We will eventually clear the site and look at options for its use."

People's Association chairman Mick Westerman said the demolition would "not be before time" but hoped the site would be cleared to avoid causing danger to children. He is concerned that alleged troublemakers who lived in the flats would now be spread around the estate.

Maureen Gibson, leader of the Braithwaite Road residents, said the news was "excellent".

She added: "People will be interested in what replaces the flats, and the behaviour of the people who are put into them."

The Keighley News has recorded the concerns of Unity flats' residents several times over the past few years.

In 1994 tenants of Nidderdale House claimed their "quick escape" doorlocks could be unlocked by children sticking their hands through the letterbox.

The following year residents of Littondale House, Yorkdale House and Wharfedale House said they were afraid to leave their homes after dark.

Gangs of children aged 11 to 15 roamed the surrounding streets throwing bricks and bottles at residents and passers-by.

Other complaints have centred on loose windows, slugs, blocked drains and "Colditz" fences that surround the flats.