A DECISION is expected soon on whether council officers acted improperly when they accepted hospitality at last month's Burnley v Blackburn Rovers derby clash at Turf Moor.

Burnley council chief executive Dr Gillian Taylor ordered an inquiry following a complaint from main opposition spokesman Harry Brooks.

He called for an investigation after three members of the environmental health and cleansing team had a four-course lunch and at the biggest game of he year as executive guest box guests of BIFFA-- the waste disposal giant which last year won the £12million contract to operate the town's cleansing service.

Coun Brooks also wanted the inquiry to look at how many other such invitations had gone to council people in the past.

Today David Brown, the council director who carried out the inquiry, said his investigation had been completed and passed on to Susan Walsh, the authority's monitoring officer who would report and make recommendations to the council.

When the row blew up public protection chairman Philip Walsh, in charge of cleansing, said the staff members had paid £25 each for the package and said they had done nothing wrong.

Coun Brooks said he was surprised it had taken five weeks to carry out the inquiry. He said: "I look forward to it with interest and I will be looking closely at the final report and the implications it may have for tightening up council procedures."