RESIDENTS in a run-down Burnley street reckon they are in line to lose the best thing going for their homes -- the view.

Householders in Sefton Terrace have been up in arms since Railtrack contractors moved in to erect an 8ft barrier in front of their homes -- a move they say will totally block out the view of Pendle and surrounding countryside.

The steel fence is being put up on top of a stone wall which runs the length of the terrace, separating their gardens from the steep railway embankment at Trafalgar. Railtrack say the move is for safety reasons -- to stop the persistent problem of people dumping household rubbish over the wall and possibly into the path of trains.

But residents say they will seek legal advice over the move and are making an 11th hour appeal to Railtrack.

Resident Paul Mitchell, 36, said householders would be seeking an early meeting with solicitors to see if they can stop the work.

He said: "We protested to Railtrack that we had not been notified and they said they didn't need to notify us and the work was going ahead. It is quite a bad area up here -- it is hard to sell the houses so we decided to spend money on our home. "The only thing in our favour is the view over the whole town and the countryside.

"But if Railtrack has its way, the only thing anyone will be able to see from their front rooms is a great solid metal fence -- and we will never be able to sell our properties."

Railtrack community relations spokeswoman Sarah McArdle said it was a legal requirement for the company to increase the height of the wall. She said: "People have also been dumping beds, fridges and all kinds of rubbish over the wall, items which could derail a train."

She added the area of land had been cleaned up twice in recent months and the dumpers kept coming back.

"The scheme has the support of Burnley council and is being carried out for safety reasons."

She added: "We are going to paint the fence green to help make it look better."