THE gate is being shut on anti-social behaviour at a Bury housing estate.

Thanks to £13,000 worth of Home Office and local authority funding, 10 special steel gates have been fitted to ginnels in the towns Lower Chesham.

The regeneration work, which has taken place in Upper Kay Street, Massey Street, Percy Street and Chesham Crescent, has also included the provision of lights to illuminate the gates and the siting of 15 sodium lamps to a number of gable ends.

"Operation Gate It" is being delivered to the area by Groundwork Bury. Funded by the Home Office and carried out in partnership with local communities, the projects are designed to deliver physical environmental improvements to areas which are run down, badly designed or poorly maintained and which have become magnets for anti-social behaviour.

Last year, Groundwork and local authority housing staff paid many visits to the estate to obtain residents views as to what they felt the area needed in order to curb anti-social behaviour.

A steering group was formed comprising Groundwork staff, council officers, councillors and the police to develop a plan for regeneration, based upon local residents discussions and written comments. Surveys and individual responses highlighted the need for increased street lighting, gating and additional door security. The security measures were installed by contractors.

Mark Doran, Groundwork community project officer, said: "The steel gates stop people not residing on the estate from using the backs of property for burglaries or for other anti-social reasons.

"We've also put lights up to illuminate the gates and fitted 15 sodium lamps to the gable ends of houses."

The next project is scheduled to begin in the summer months.

It will involve front garden improvements on the Chesham Crescent area of the estate.