A MEETING to discuss antisocial behaviour problems on a Southampton estate descended into farce when only one resident turned up.

Up to 18 people including Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), city patrol officers and neighbourhood wardens planned to meet residents in Millbrook.

Now red-faced organisers of the council's Crime Reduction Environment Week (CREW) have been criticised for wasting time and money.

A last-minute attempt to increase numbers by broadcasting a message from the building meant one more resident turned up as the meeting finished.

A councillor said the meeting could have been better organised and the money better spent.

Royston Smith, Conservative councillor for Harefield Ward, said: "The work of CREW is absolutely fundamental in the city but if you're going to hold a meeting with this number of people then surely it's not beyond the will of man to try and find out how many people are coming.

"If you're going to spend money tackling antisocial behaviour it's got to be done efficiently and not at huge cost to the council and other public bodies."

He added: "The money could be better used tackling antisocial behaviour instead of having meetings where only one resident turns up."

A council spokesman refused to say how much money the one-hour session in Millbrook cost.

Kerry Wilcox, 64, of Kendal Avenue in Millbrook, the only resident to turn up, said: "It's a shame that nobody seems to care.

A shame "You would think they would be queuing up to get in. It's basically a nice estate and it's a shame that residents are not interested in chatting to people."

Jandine Jarrett, CREW co-ordinator for Community Safety in Southampton, who organised the meeting, said the attendance was a shame.

She said: "It was advertised in shops and all the residents heard it on the tannoy so your guess is as good as mine as to why they didn't turn up. Sometimes these things don't work.

"Residents said they wanted to meet their local beat officers but they obviously don't."

The meeting at Toronto Court in Cumbria Way coincides with Southampton being named as one of 40 councils across the UK to become part of Tony Blair's Respect agenda.

Approximately £225,000 of Home Office money will be pumped into the city to fight antisocial behaviour and nurture a culture of Respect.

Four Hampshire police officers patrolling the Millbrook area on bike who were present at the meeting admitted they had heard about it at the last minute.

One officer said: "I don't know how it's been organised but we patrol the area and to be honest we didn't know it was on until we saw the sign outside."

Derek Stevens, antisocial behaviour manager for Southampton, said staff attending were paid for the whole week regardless so it wasn't a waste of money.

He said: "We have made every effort to get people here but you can only invite them.

"I think the saying goes you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. We were disappointed but you can't force people to attend. Really it's an indictment of the community."

Only three residents turned up for the launch of the Respect campaign in Millbrook this week.