AFTER more than two decades of dealing with residents' problems, people could think Peter Pike would have had enough of politics --- but they would be wrong.

For as the borough's MP prepares to step down from his role he hs revealed he is considering moving back in to local politics.

The Labour backbencher may be just two months short of his 68th birthday, but he cannot see himself totally giving up what has being his life for the last 40 years.

Mr Pike said he intended to take a short break after the General Election -- expected to be called in the next 48 hours -- before considering some of the offers he had received.

He said: "I don't see myself dead and buried.

"I might go back on the council or the county council, go to university to study history or I might learn to use a computer.

"One chapter is over but I can't see myself becoming a window cleaner or a gardener at home."

Mr Pike was first elected as a councillor in London in 1960 before moving to Burnley in 1963, working at Mullards in Simonstone, gaining a seat on the council in 1976 and becoming leader in 1980.

Then in 1983 he was elected to represent the people of the borough in Westminster.

He held his first surgery two days after the General Election and every Saturday morning since Mr Pike has listened to the issues concerning his constituents in the Thompson Centre.

It might be just nine days until he steps down but that does not stop a steady flow of people coming to air their grievances.

People patiently wait in a queue talking about topics including tree preservation orders and social security payments while enthusiastic kids in kick-boxing suits run in and out of the centre.

Spencer Street resident Mohammed Bashir, 71, came to see Mr Pike about improving canal safety.

He spent 10 minutes in an office with Mr Pike and came out quite pleased with what Mr Pike has told him, saying: "He was very nice and helpful and said he would look into what he could do.

"He has been a hard-working MP and will be missed by many people."

Mr Pike said the concerns of people had changed since the early 1980s, when redundancies and benefits were the key points.

Today he listens to concerns on a whole range of affairs from Iraq and Zimbabwe to dentistry.

He said: "There was a lot more poverty in Burnley 22 years ago. I would have a large number of people who were trying to get housing repairs.

"People still come with issues about Calico (now responsible for former council housing), but whereas I would write 30 letters a week to Burnley Council about housing I write about 50 letters a year to Calico."

In the early days Mr Pike used to hold surgeries for at least two hours because a lack of funding meant it was the only real chance for people to contact him.

However, with more cash available he set up an office in Burnley which deals with hundreds of concerns each week, but still holds sessions for more than an hour. He still has hundreds of files to close, some of which will be passed to the borough's new MP.

Mr Pike, whose mother was from Burnley, said when he was growing up he thought the sun did not shine in the town because of the pollution spewed out by the cotton factories.

As the sun bursts through the clouds and the demise of the cotton industry is a hazy memory Mr Pike points to the millions of pounds being pumped in to the borough -- like the new health and leisure centre, the building schools for the future programme, the redevelopment at Burnley General Hospital and the Oval shopping development -- and forecasts a bright future.

He adds: "It is a really exciting time for Burnley and some of things that are happening I have worked on alongside others to try and achieve.

They will not be delivered in my time but they are going to come along."