DEMOLITION has begun at two shanty towns in New Providence, according to the Department of Environmental Health Services.

Assistant Director Lennard Miller said the destruction of illegal buildings at Carmichael and Joe Farrington Roads was started by landowners and the government yesterday.

Mr Miller said: “In some instances they are being removed and or destroyed voluntarily by landowners. In other instances the Ministry of Works has marked buildings to be removed where the occupants have already vacated.”

He said: “These communities were informally organised, overcrowded with illegal/poorly constructed dwellings and improper or no sewerage disposal systems. There was also the proliferation of derelict vehicles and garbage accumulation.”

Mr Miller said: “The Ministry of The Environment & Housing in conjunction with the Ministry of Works, Urban Renewal and other government agencies will continue to systematically pursue the closure of all shanty towns and improving our living standards.”