Work was interrupted by World War II, after which the bulk of the housing stock was constructed.

[citation needed] Under Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy policy, a modest proportion of council tenants chose to purchase their rented property at hugely discounted prices.

[citation needed] The decline of Bestwood Estate continued, with increasing crime levels.

Policing the area became difficult as a small number of local families established a grip on it.

A number of highly publicised murders[2] eventually led to the arrest and imprisonment of some members of the family.