A FATHER has sent out a rallying cry to the people who live in Lowerhouses: "Let's beat the yobs."

David Spitz, 25, of Fanny Moor Crescent, believes that if people get behind their community the troubled estate can again be a pleasant place to live in.

Mr Spitz, the vice-secretary of the Lowerhouses Tenants' and Residents' Association, is convinced the best way to stop the rot on the estate is to involve the people who live there.

He said: "The majority of people who live in Lowerhouses are good, honest people who just want to live in peace and get on with their lives.

"Then there are some who are troublemakers who simply don't care.

"I have a young daughter and a son on the way very soon. I want them to grow up in a safe area. I am convinced that with some hard work Lowerhouses can be a nice place."

Mr Spitz, who moved to Lower- houses from Oxford two-and-a-half years ago, praised the extra police presence on the estate during the summer, but says the trouble was not fully stamped out.

"Wherever the police were the kids were not. But it was nice to see some uniformed police in the area. It felt safer.

"But we need police on the estate all the time, to stop the decay that has been going on for such a long time.

"People have a perception that Lowerhouses is a slum. To an extent the bad reputation the estate has got has been built over a long time and is deserved," added Mr Spitz.

"But if we work hard and people get along to association meetings we can turn it around."

Last week, Kirklees Council published a report outlining the problems in Lowerhouses.

It said the main problem on the estate was the staggering amount of tenants who moved in, only to move out after a short time - 40%.

The report said this meant there was little community spirit.

But Mr Spitz, who lives with wife Ellen, 26, says this is not true.

He said: "There are good people who live in Fanny Moor that would help you whenever you needed it.

"There is a community spirit and it is worth fighting for. In the past we have been ignored by the council and the police. Things must get better; there is no point just complaining.

"People need to make their voices heard."

* The association has elected a new committee. They want people willing to help to contact them through the Lowerhouses Community Centre in Fanny Moor Lane.