AN appeal has been issued to find Burnley, Padiham and Hapton's 'grot spots' ahead of a year-long crackdown on the dirtiest corners of the borough.

A key component of the project will be a community clean-up campaign directed by information from the public.

The councillor in charge of litter-picking, Brunshaw ward's Lian Pate, is urging as many people as possible to lend a hand and report 'grot spots' to the authority.

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Cllr Pate, cabinet member for community services, said: "There are areas everywhere in the borough which may be getting overlooked, which no-one complains about.

"So we are asking if people, or councillors, know about these sites to get in touch and we'll put them forward to our street scene teams.

"I really hope we can make a real difference with this initiative and I'm looking forward to us getting started."

Council bosses have signed a new deal with contractor Kingdom Environmental Services which will trigger the clampdown.

Cllr Pate and council leader Cllr Mark Townsend, conducted a litter pick of their own in Brief Street and Devonshire Road last weekend and managed to fill 10 bags with waste.

"We need some education for residents because, in some communities for example, we still have people who leave out bread for the birds," said Cllr Pate.

"This doesn't do the birds any good and it usually only benefits the rats."

Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, Liberal Democrat group leader, said: "I think it's a good idea but what it boils down to is whether people have pride in their community.

"The people in my ward keep the area clean and every six weeks I carry out a walkabout and tell the council if there are any issues. I've been doing this for the past 35 years."

But in the past few days he has reported the dumping of an old couch, which had been left on a central Burnley estate for six weeks.

Cllr David Heginbotham, Conservative group leader, who represents Cliviger and Worsthorne, said he was anxious that rural areas would be forgotten.

"There were two fridges dumped in Dyneley Lane over the weekend - anywhere they can get away with not being seen seems to be targeted," said Cllr Heginbotham.

"I was only driving from Todmorden to Cliviger the other day when I noticed a bin which was overflowing and there were seven or eight bags left nearby.

"In the town centre, these kind of things are often noticed but there is still an issue around here, with the likes of the Long Causeway and Bacup Road."

Joanne Swift, the council's Streetscene head, said: "Over recent years the council has consistently been recognised nationally as a 'top performer' for its robust and pro-active approach in tackling environmental crime.

"However the borough is still affected by high levels of fly-tipping, predominately in its inner urban areas."

In recent years the council has also been regularly involved in prosecuting householders over dirty back yards, with absentee landlords often held responsible for some of the worst locations.

Council street scene officers will deliver clean-up equipment, such as gloves and litter pickers, to aid any individual sweeps, as well as arranging the collection and disposal of any waste afterwards.

Parish councils, residents associations and other community groups are being encouraged to participate.

One-off funding of £30,000 was agreed last September for the drive, which will be supported by a further £13,000 from operational budgets, including the allocation of community skips.