FRUSTRATED residents fed up with prostitutes and drug dealers working close to their homes hope to meet with housing association bosses to put and end to the troubles.

Residents in Cornwall Place, in Manningham, claim their lives have been made a misery for the last four years because of drug use and prostitution taking place in Millhaven flats, which is run by Horton Housing.

A public meeting was held on Saturday to discuss the problems with Manningham ward councillors, the police, Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, and the chairman of Bradford West Area Committee.

A petition has already been set up by the residents pushing for several changes to be made at the flats, and around 1,000 signatures have already been gathered.

Cllr Sarfraz Nazir (Manningham, Labour) said it was decided at the meeting that another one will now take place with Horton Housing to address the issues.

He said: "A lot of residents attended and there was a lot of frustration on their part.

"We have agreed that we will meet with Horton Housing to look at the concerns residents have rightly raised about antisocial behaviour.

"On the back of that we will look to organise a meeting with Horton Housing to see if we can come up with some sort of solution.

"We need to have a dialogue with the provider and look at the concerns people are raising about drug dealing and prostitution because this is having a massive impact on their lives.

"It's not a good situation for the people living there and we need to improve that situation."

Naz Shah said residents raised concerns with her about problems in the area before the meeting took place.

She said: "A number of residents have also raised concerns during my constituency surgery and I am keen to work closely with the police to resolve any issues.

“I am obviously very concerned if the safety or peace of any local residents is being jeopardised by the predatory behaviour of those selling drugs or curb crawling and as Shadow Women and Equalities Minister I am particularly concerned for the women and children who live in a nearby housing project. This kind of behaviour can blight a community and I will do everything I can to bring agencies together to respond appropriately.”

Asghar Ali, a resident living near the problems, labelled the issues an "epidemic of bad behaviour and drug dealing in Bradford."

He added: "The fact of the matter is this has become very serious.

"We want all the prostitutes and drug addicts to be removed from the area.

"We have faced aggression from drug dealers every day and have seen needles in the street."

A Horton Housing Association spokesperson said: "We are aware of concerns expressed by some people about activities in and around the area.

"The staff and residents of Millhaven themselves have had experience of the anti-social behaviour described. We fully appreciate the negative impact such behaviour has on neighbourhoods.

"We are working collaboratively with the local community and other partner organisations, including the police, to develop an effective and co-ordinated approach to resolving these problems."