A QUIET York estate has become a "paradise for criminals" because its management firm has fallen behind on repairs, residents said today.

They claim broken and faulty security lights in Birch Park, Huntington, have turned the neighbourhood into an area where groups of up to 20 youths can commit crimes without fear.

Residents blame property management firm CPM Asset Management Limited for failing to tackle a series of faults in the estate's lighting.

CPM is a national property management firm that organises contracts for maintenance work on behalf of Birch Park residents.

The private tenants are on the board of a company that decides how the estate is run and employs CPM to manage repairs and maintenance contracts.

Neighbourhood watch co-ordinator Rachel Tulloch, 22, said two cars and a van were broken into last week in the latest spate of crime since the lights started failing in September.

In another incident, she said a woman carrying her baby fell in the street because she could not see the kerb. Rachel said: "The police said you need to increase the lighting as it is a paradise for criminals because it is just pitch-black.

"We do not feel safe going out after dark.

"It is a really nice neighbourhood. It is just the lack of lighting that it has made it a prime area for crime. It is literally pitch-black and we have had a car broken into every night last week."

Rachel said vandals had smashed some of the lights while others were never connected after being installed. She said CPM managers were never available to respond to the problems.

"We have sent letters by recorded delivery to CPM, sent them text messages, and called them, but we are not getting any response," she said.

"Their excuses saying they have got other developments taking priority but they should get more staff.

"It is not to do with us.

"We are still paying our money, but they are giving us no service whatsoever."

Police confirmed they had attended four incidents at the estate since December 1 involving nuisance youths with vehicles.

PC Paul Beckwith, neighbourhood police officer for Huntington and New Earswick, said there were long-standing problems on the estate.

He said: "Because it is basically waste land on one side of the road, it has associated problems with youths hanging out around there.

"Some of the industrial estate is not overlooked in the evening, so it is unoccupied and it is an area that people go with stolen vehicles."

A spokesman for CPM said: "There is vandalism that takes place on a lot of the estates we manage and that could be a contributing factor as to why a lot of lights are out.

"As far as we can see from our records, we have done what we are meant to be doing, appointed the contractor and got the work done.

"We will be in touch with the residents to try and work out a solution."

Updated: 09:42 Tuesday, December 13, 2005