A CAMPAIGN to clean up Darwen’s worst ‘grot-spots’ is to be launched by the town council.

Leader Steve Duncan wants to ‘name and shame’ those responsible for run-down buildings and alleyways, and improve the main route through the town.

He said: “I want members of the public to identify grot-spots along the A666 and Duckworth Street, which is what you first see when you travel through Darwen.

“As a town council, we would then try to find out who owns the properties and put pressure on them to sort the problem out. Hopefully, it will be a success and we can roll the scheme out into other areas of the town.”

Coun Duncan hopes local businesses would be willing to sponsor the scheme by providing materials and labour for free or at a reduced price. He also intends to approach rehabilit-ation schemes operating in the town for help.

He added: “If we can’t find out who is responsible for a particular problem area, then we might look at getting volunteers in to help, or offering financial help from the town council.

“It would be a real community effort to give Darwen a bit of a makeover. This town is no worse than anywhere else, but it’s very easy to sit back and not do anything about it.

“We have some very nice facilities here, and some great businesses, and it’s not right that they should be blighted by these grot-spots.

“I want people to travel through Darwen and think: This would be a nice place to live or have a business in, or go out in.”

Possible targets for the scheme include a boarded-up former shelter in Whitehall Street, a former Chinese takeaway in Cemetery Road and an old decorating shop in Duckworth Street.