RESIDENTS enjoyed a community day in a Watford housing estate organised to foster neighbourly spirit today.

With the help of a Home Office grant, Judith Moores of Boundary Way, Garston, organised a barbecue, children's games and other attractions at the estate's community centre.

She said: "Boundary Way has a bad reputation it really doesn't deserve. There isn't much crime, but we do get low level anti-social behaviour.

"I want to give everybody a chance to meet the local police, and encourage them to join Neigfhbourhood Watch.

"But most of all I want everybody to enjoy themselves, sit down and have a chat."

Shop owner Bally Hullait said: "In the old days everyone knew everybody else, but now everybody is too busy.

"Today is a really good way of getting people to meet each other. If there is a bit of vandalism going on, it is probably a child on the estate, so the best way to stop it is for everybody to know each other."

Police sergeant Neil Canning said: "This place had a bad reputation, but it is starting to shake it off.

"It is definitely getting better. Levels of anti-social behaviour are now quite low and there is less fly-tipping.

Amy Willcox of the Watford Community Housing Trust, the landlord for most of the estate, said: "Judith is fantastic - if every estate had someone like her, everybody would be a lot better off.

"We have meetings with the police every month, so if there are problems we can nip them in the bud.

"One of the problems is that we are on the border of two councils - Watford and Three Rivers.

"But we want to show people it is all one community."