YOUNG mother Victoria Gulley tries to avoid walking past a vandalised, derelict block of flats which she says have become a danger area since they were last occupied two years ago.

The state of the former servicemen's quarters in Upwood Drive, Carterton, has also become a campaigning point for local MP and Tory party leader David Cameron.

The town and district councils, the local Neighbourhood Action Group and the RAF Families Consultative Group are also pressing for them to be bulldozed.

Mrs Gulley, who has a two-year-old child and is married to a serviceman at RAF Brize Norton, said: "It is a complete eyesore. It's become a place where people get together where they do absolutely anything.

"It is horrible and scary. All of us avoid the underpass across Upavon Way at night. It is a talking point among wives.

"It needs to be sorted out, especially considering people need to use the underpass to get to the shops."

Mr Cameron said: "I went there recently and the place is a disgrace. It devalues the whole area and leaves them open to crime and vandalism. I will be chasing Defence Estates to get on with it as soon as possible."

A long-awaited promise of action has now come from Defence Estates, which manages property for the RAF, that the Upwood Drive quarters will be demolished.

Initially, it said they would be coming down in April or May, but then changed the date to "around June this year". The work will need a full survey for asbestos in the buildings, to ensure safe demolition.

The flats were built in the 1960s and 1970s to house personnel at RAF Brize Norton. They are among 600 Defence Estates flats and houses to be demolished in the town as part of a redevelopment programme bringing 800 new homes under a private finance initiative.

Adrian Coomber, a sergeant at Brize Norton and a Carterton town councillor, has been leading the campaign.

He said: "The place is an eyesore but the main concern is public safety.

"It is a dangerous area. People have broken in and taken stuff out while others have vandalised the flats and left them in a terrible state.

"There is glass and filth everywhere, even pressurised fire extinguishers lying around on the floor.

"If I lived over the road from them, I would be very upset, as people are. Husbands, wives and their families are worried about their safety.

"This is not the fault of the RAF or the base here. Defence Estates have known about our concerns for a long time and finally it looks like action.

"Whether it's April, May or June, I'll just be glad along with the rest of us when they finally go."

The rebuilding programme follows plans to increase the number of service personnel at Brize.