Residents are demanding action to save their neighbourhood from turning into an estate with a bad reputation.

People living in Meadowview, Brighton, say children are growing up without pride in their surroundings because roads are rarely swept, rubbish is left lying around and there is a lack of facilities.

Shelagh Wells, a member of the residents' committee, said: "They put about 100 houses up here but seem to have forgotten about us.

"The roads are never swept. It's like walking into a war zone sometimes, with wood, glass and litter everywhere.

"Sometimes you almost feel ashamed to live here. How are the kids meant to have any pride in it?"

Her partner, Ann Wells, of Ghyllside, said local teenagers had little to do, adding: "It's a timebomb. There have been vandalism problems already. I found one lad in our hallway setting fire to it.

"You see them walking around the estate with their hands in their pockets - they just don't know what to do with themselves.

"I would like to see them being able to use a pool table or dartboard in the community centre in the evenings. There is very little for youngsters over 11 going on.

"We have a little play area but there are used condoms and syringes lying about."

Roadsweeping at Meadowview is the responsibility of a consortium of housing associations but Brighton and Hove City Council is due to adopt the roads later this year.

A council spokesman said: "The roads should be adopted by Christmas, which means road sweeping will become our responsibility."

New Downland Housing Association is a member of the consortium managing the five-year-old estate.

A spokeswoman said road sweeping was carried out twice a month and estate cleaning was monitored by an officer who had not reported any complaints.

She said the estate had two play areas, including one with purpose-built basketball and football areas, together with a number of youth projects being run in the community centre.

She said CCTV on the estate had resulted in "surprisingly little" trouble during the summer holidays.