A woman who decided to do something about crime and vandalism on a council estate has been honoured for her work by the police.

Residents in Bognor who branded their area of the town as "Lego Land" are starting to revert back to using its proper name The Trees Estate.

Before Geraldine Ifould went into action, the area was covered in graffiti and there were 49 abandoned cars littering the estate's seven roads.

Mrs Ifould, known as Gez, formed a residents' association and made tidying up a priority.

She said: "Instead of just talking about the problems, we got people together and went straight to the people at the top in the various authorities."

The abandoned cars, which proved a magnet for youngsters, have gone and graffiti is wiped away as soon as it appears.

Gez said: "By clearing it off quickly, we have started to find it does not return as quickly."

Before Gez went into action, only three of the roads on the estate were covered by Neighbourhood Watch. Now there is a full service with regular patrols.

Gez is hoping the new-found pride in the area will filter down to youngsters who have caused problems in the past.

She said: "At the moment, things are quiet but as we get towards the lighter evenings, Easter and the summer holidays it will be a test for the area.

"But we watch what people are doing, note it all down and are always aware of what is happening. We have two beat police officers who come to the estate regularly and have been marvellous. So has Arun Council.

"We are also talking to the children and hoping we can get some sort of youth facility. It would not be anything structured because they do not want that, just a place to hang out."

Gez, 48, said the estate won its nickname because the homes were built from "big grey breeze blocks looking like bits of Lego with plastic cladding."

She added: "It had got to the point really where it had almost become a no-go area and turning it round has been a real community effort."

Chief Inspector John Bishop of Western Division Police, who presented Gez with a crime fighting award, said: "Her determination gives real meaning to the concept of partnership working and has resulted in a decrease in crime and disorder on the Trees estate, together with a rise in the quality of life for its residents."