Skiploads of rubbish are being collected in a do-it-yourself clean-up campaign on a Keighley housing estate.

Armed with brushes and shovels, residents in the Nashville Street estate have gone into battle against garbage.

Brunel housing association has provided three skips and the residents are providing the muscle power to spruce up Shapla Close, Pentland Close, Salisbury Road and Litton Road.

Working party member and mother of three Julie Hurt said: "This is a nice estate and we want to keep it like that. The idea is to nip any litter problems in the bud."

Anne Evans, of Nashville Street, said: "I think it's a great idea. These are nice houses and flats and Brunel are very good."

The tenants have formed a residents' group which aims to organise other community activities and set up a youth club for the many youngsters on the estate.

Joanne Bowles, Brunel's housing officer in Keighley, said the clean-up project followed a similar scheme by Brunel tenants in Bradford and was intended to clear up the post-Christmas rubbish as well as improve the general look of the area.

"This is seen as the first step towards encouraging tenants to take pride in their neighbourhood and take part in community-focused initiatives," she said.

She added there were future plans for the estate including new fencing, the establishment of a neighbourhood watch and a possible shared caretaker with Manningham Housing Associa-tion which has a number of properties on the estate.

"I hope this will be the start of a thriving tenants' group that will take more steps to improve both the appearance and spirit in the area," she added.

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