Housing chiefs are hoping a generous helping of elbow grease will boost civic pride in Bradford.

Operation Clean Sweep is a massive tidy-up campaign spearheaded by Brunel Housing.

Run in association with Craven Housing, it aims to transform Brunel's housing sites in Manningham, Ravenscliffe and Holme Wood into safe and secure communities.

Nadhia Hussain, the housing association's area manager, said: "We want our customers to enjoy and appreciate the space in which they live.

"Operation Clean Sweep will ensure all Brunel properties and areas are kept clean.

"By improving the quality of public spaces and the visual environment of our schemes, we hope to build a greater community spirit which, in turn, should see a reduction in anti-social behaviour and help to create sustainable communities."

The campaign has already proved successful in Skipton, where it was run by Craven Housing.

Sue Bamford, community services co-ordinator for Craven Housing, said it was approached by Brunel Housing, which had heard about its work in Skipton.

"We are here to help them achieve what we have already done for our customers," she said.

Craven Housing achieved 98 per cent customer satisfaction in a recent survey of its tenants.

Peter Taylor, community services team leader for Craven Housing, is leading Operation Clean Sweep. He said: "The operation is about bringing the areas back up to an acceptable level.

"The residents have all been really happy to see us, they have been very complimentary about the work we are doing and are enjoying the results.

"One man said he had never seen his property look so good in the 20 years he had been living there."

Residents have been appointed as community caretakers who will be responsible for cleaning up. Community champions have also been appointed to ensure the areas stay clean.

Fred Smith is a community champion for Craven Housing. He said: "Since we have had our own maintenance team at Craven everything has got so much better than when the housing association used outside contractors."

Trevor Wood, a resident in Parkfield Road, Manningham, said: "It's really improving the quality of life round here. Litter and discarded syringes really denigrate the area so to see them being cleared up is fantastic."

e-mail: jennifer.sugden@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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