WHITEFIELD street wardens will be axed in four months, despite their acclaimed success.

The five wardens will patrol Victoria and Hillock estates for the last time in March, along with two neighbourhood wardens in East Bury, because Government funding has run dry.

The wardens were introduced to the Whitefield streets in September 2002 and as well as tackling environmental problems, they were encouraged to report incidents of crime and disorder.

Their presence on Hillock and Victoria estates has been praised by residents and the friendly team helped Whitefield Primary School win a Greater Manchester Police "Make A Difference" competition for creating a Rainbow Garden from overgrown land.

In September 2003, the Government grant was matched by Bury Council and Rivers Housing Association so the successful scheme could be extended to 2005.

However, it would cost the council and Rivers more than £200,000 a year to maintain the running of the scheme - a bill they feel they cannot meet.

The street and neighbourhood wardens - not to be confused with the borough-wide community safety wardens - will be replaced by a team of "super caretakers" but there will be only seven for council estates in the entire borough.

The estate janitors, named Neighbourhood Caretakers, will be introduced as part of restructuring when the council's housing department becomes an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) next April.

They will be employed by Bury Council and are intended to take on local environmental issues, tackle rubbish and graffiti, become involved in local schools and develop links with the community.

John Merrick, head of tenants services, said: "It has always been clear that the funding will end in March and we have looked at how to continue the best components of that service. The best bits have been taken out and will become part of the job description for the new staff. Caretaking services have always been a priority of our tenants and they have said they want more. We currently have four janitors and from April we will have seven super caretakers."

Besses ward councillor Derek Boden explained that a decision to review the scheme had to be made as the funding was due to come to an end.

He said it was a regret that the wardens scheme was coming to an end for Whitefield but hoped the area would benefit from additional PCSOs.

He added: "I do agree that the wardens have been useful and made their mark."