Derelict homes in Elsecar which have been branded as 'eyesores' could be pulled down before the start of April.
Demolitions are planned before the end of the financial year but this was dependent on the availability of a contractor, according to the office of Barnsley East MP Michael Dugher.
Gas and electricity to the four homes in Welland Crescent was cut off last week, they said said and water supplies would cease by the end of this week.
Mr Dugher, an Elsecar resident, welcomed the progress.
He said: "It's great news that the utility services to the derelict properties on Welland Crescent have finally been disconnected. This means that an end to this long-running problem is finally in sight.
"I have been campaigning for months now with local residents, together with Hoyland Milton Councillors Robin Franklin, Mick Stowe and Tim Shepherd, to say enough is enough and I am happy that Barnsley Council is now ready to take the final step of hiring a contractor to demolish the properties.
"The situation has gone on for far too long and the sooner these dangerous eyesores can be pulled down the better it will be for the local residents."
The semi-detached properties, numbers 46, 48, 102 and 104, were taken over by the council through compulsory purchase after owners refused to sell.
They have been set on fire, had their windows smashed and been vandalised - even being defaced with paint.
Coun Shepherd, said he was also happy work was moving in the right direction.
"We wish work had started a long time ago but there's a legal process to go through and it's a matter of going through that process. I think a lot of people will be very pleased with the houses being knocked down because it's an eyesore."
© 2013 Barnsley Chronicle Ltd