Tory leader David Cameron has vowed to help people fight nuisance behaviour and tackle poverty in their communities.

The Conservative leader, who recently completed his first 100 days in the top job, spoke during a visit to the Kingsmere Estate in Eastbourne, where residents, police, councillors and community workers have kicked antisocial behaviour off the streets.

In the past two years the estate, home to 300 families, has ridden itself of drug dealers, the blight of abandoned shopping trolleys and threatening behaviour with the help of anti-social behaviour orders and landscaping improvements.

Mr Cameron, 39, met residents on a short walkabout yesterday. He told The Argus: "I'm very interested in what communities can do and what we can do to help communitie to deal with problems of antisocial behaviour.

"Kingsmere is a good example of a community that did not like what was happening and helped turn it around themselves.

"It's very interesting what has happened here and shows what communities can do to deal with problems such vandalism, litter and graffiti.

"The community has got together and formed a forum and worked with the police, the housing associations and the borough council to really make a difference."

Mr Cameron, whose visit was aimed at boosting support for the Tories ahead of May's local elections, called for a "new deal in communities".

He described the Government's target to end child poverty by 2020 as "a good one" and said: "The problem has been they haven't made enough progress towards that.

"We need to help give communities more powers to let them out of poverty. The Government feels only they have the solutions."

Tracy Moles, chairwoman of the Kingsmere Community Forum, said: "The estate had a bad name for the last eight years but we're trying to get away from that now. It's turned itself around."

Mr Cameron also met staff and pupils at Ifield Community College in Crawley and volunteers from St John Ambulance at the Southwater Centre in St Leonards.