Residents on a run-down housing estate should be taught to take pride in their environment, a new councillor has said.

Kevin Blake, who was elected to serve Pitsea ward on Basildon Council last month said the Felmores estate needed community effort if it was to regenerate and become a pleasant place to live.

He has also pledged to campaign for cash to be spent on rubbish inspectors, who would monitor and prosecute fly-tippers.

Mr Blake made his comments after touring problem areas on the estate with Ron Livesey, chairman of the Joint Estate Management committee.

He said: "There were some dangerous cable faults that hadn't been fixed for a couple of years, but we pointed them out to Telewest which got them fixed the next day - the response was superb."

Mr Blake now hopes to develop strategies to tackle the litter problems on the estate, and said that he had already examined dumped rubbish bags for identification - and returned them to the owner.

He said: "People are putting their bin bags out four or five days before the collection, and of course they get ripped up and the rubbish goes everywhere.

"I feel it's not the council's responsibility to clear up these messes."

However, he feels the council should fund more rubbish inspectors - currently just two part-time inspectors cover the district - to fine and prosecute tippers.

He pointed out that most tenants were not causing problems.

Mr Blake added: "The problem is that people look round at the mess and think that everybody else is doing it, so why shouldn't they?"

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