A WOMAN lorry driver who lives just yards away from the busy East Lancs Road has secured a £2,800 government grant to perk up her local scenery and muffle the infuriating noise pollution.

Although Christine Courtliff (47), of Haydock, spends much of her time on the open road she can't wait to see her garden transformed from a first-class view of a busy highway to a leafy haven of trees, conifers and evergreen shrubs.

She joined forces with twenty-five disgruntled neighbours inWycliffe Road after becoming fed up with the sight and sound of the dual carriageway from her back garden.

Christine said, "There's so much traffic on the road that it's a constant annoyance.

"In summer I can't sit in the garden because of the noise and the unsightly view."

But with the Church Road Residents and Tenants Association lending a hand the team of neighbours convinced the Deputy Prime Minister's 'Living Spaces' project to help them block out the disturbance.

And they hope to complete the community improvement project, with the help of the Groundwork Trust in St Helens, by the end of February.

Christine is already eyeing another campaign and has contacted the council and Helena Housing to request installation of a noise reduction fence.

Christine added: "Just because we live on a housing estate shouldn't mean that we have to live in an unkempt area. It's pretty run down at the moment because nothing has been done to improve it since the 1950's and slowly but surely we're trying to change that."