HOUSING minister Nick Raynsford saw for himself the pressing need to tackle East Lancashire's poor housing and told council bosses: "There is hope."

The minister spoke of the "spiral of decline" he had witnessed in Burnley and Pendle's problem areas, but also praised the sharp and striking contrast in districts which had benefited from regeneration schemes.

And as he met housing chiefs after a tour of both areas, he promised that government action was on its way.

Mr Raynsford also pledged a crackdown on unscrupulous landlords who offered poor housing and abused the benefits system. He had been told they were a big problem.

Burnley council's regeneration chairman, Coun Steve Wolski, told the minister: "Bad landlords are a major blight and I hope we can get into a position where we can encourage good landlords.

"We want to get rid of bad landlords altogether," he said.

The minister told him there would be incentives to encourage good landlords and a clampdown on those who abused the system.

"Action is coming," he said.

But the major thrust from housing chiefs was to encourage the government supremo to give local authorities in the area, the cash and flexibility to tackle housing problems head on. Former Burnley council leader Kath Reade, now a member of the powerful North West Development Agency, said that while she welcomed the many millions put into housing in the area, the problem was of such scale that she feared poor housing may have to last as long as the Pyramids before it was fully dealt with.

She said the whole great drive to regeneration could be undermined by housing problems, which could result in people refusing to live in the area.

"There is a crying need for the massive resources required," she declared.

Pendle Council chief executive Stephen Barnes told Mr Raynsford: "You give us hope."

But he warned that, without help, the area's housing decline would be so swift it would be unstoppable.

Mr Raynsford visited the area following a personal invitation from Burnley's MP Peter Pike.

His bus tour took him to areas of both boroughs suffering from lack of housing investment and also to districts which were benefiting from renewal initiatives.

The minister also got the chance to speak to community groups in the towns.