RESIDENTS of a demolition-threatened estate say that despite 18 months of asking for answers, their future remains uncertain.

Families living at Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough, claim they first learned of the plans to demolish their homes from a newspaper report.

A Middlesbrough Borough Council survey, asking them where they would be willing to move to if the plans took effect followed soon afterwards.

Residents were told of a proposal to replace their homes with a park.

Ann Fisher, chairwoman of the Fair Deal in the Community action group, says the council has failed to properly consult people.

"The council commissioned a biased report and they only questioned seven per cent of people in the area," she said. "They asked people where they would move to rather than if they wanted to move at all. They also gave the impression that new houses would be built on the estate."

Mrs Fisher said: "We did our own survey of the estate and we found that only 27 per cent wanted to move.''

Fair Deal in the Community has asked the council to conduct another survey - devised with the residents.

Mrs Fisher said: "The idea of New Deal for the Community is to build, sustain it, and all this is going to do is destroy it."

A Middlesbrough council spokesman said: "We are meeting this group over three days this week not only to consult them about the plans but to consult them about the content of a questionnaire we intend to send out to residents.

"We totally reject claims of bias and lack of consultation."