PRIME Minister Tony Blair today offered new hope to people living in East Lancashire's deprived and neglected communities.

And he pledged to back up improvements to communities with a tough line on criminals who he said had blighted many areas.

At a press conference at King George's Hall, Blackburn, Mr Blair pledged to tackle crime and disorder in run-down areas. Several of East Lancashire's wards are the most deprived in the country.

Along with Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw and housing minister Lord Falconer, Mr Blair promised a brighter future.

The government has already made East Lancashire a Pathfinder area. This means local councils can work the with government and expect to receive millions to improve housing and communities.

Mr Blair said housing issues would be tackled at the same time as crime problems.

Mr Blair said: "If you are struggling to bring up your kids with decent standards the last thing you want is drug dealers at street corners or the school gates. And if you are unfortunate enough to live next to the neighbour from hell then you want the authorities to sort that out for you -- and to do it fast."

Schemes he talked about today had been piloted in Blackburn, including Anti Social Behaviour Orders and truancy crackdowns which involved council staff and police trawling streets looking for youngsters playing truant.

Lord Falconer added: "While crime has fallen overall, there remain areas where vandalism and anti-social behaviour makes life a misery for many residents.

"There remains a lot to do. We are tackling the nine worst areas for housing abandonment in East Lancashire. We are increasing the powers of social and private landlords to evict nuisance tenants and we are committing extra investment for our communities."

Mr Blair praised Blackburn with Darwen Council for winning Council of The Year.

He said: "It is a great honour for a council. I know how rigorously these awards are judged.

"It is a great tribute to the council, its officers and its partners."