PARISH councillors in Burnley have been rapped for failing to deliver their annual return - amid claims they couldn't get access to their official bank account for a number of months.

In an unusual move, auditors produced a 'report in the public interest' over Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood's missing financial records, urging them to take urgent action.

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Parish clerk Steve Watson has confirmed that the authority has now managed to redirect its correspondence to his own address and the problem should be resolved soon.

Auditors BDO made several requests of the parish council for the return, after a September deadline was missed, and published a damning statement shortly afterwards.

The report, in part, read: "The council, despite repeated requests, failed to submit an annual return.

"Any income received or expenditure made, if any, has not been subject to external scrutiny.

"Completing the annual return provides appropriate accountability at minimum cost to the council.

"The council failed in an important statutory duty.

"And perhaps most importantly it failed to account to its taxpayers for the use and safeguarding of their money. That should not happen again."

Later the auditors also sent a report to Burnley Council, which acts as a monitoring officer, outlining what action Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood should take, including drawing up a plan to ensure returns are filed by the statutory deadline of June 30.

Borough monitoring officer Chris Hay said in a report to the audit committee: "The council should maintain a watching brief until this matter is brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and the annual return submitted with an action plan agreed to prevent reoccurrence."

Councillors will meet next Wednesday and could impose conditions, allowing the borough to recoup grant funding if the problem arises again.

Cllr Andrew Newhouse, a borough councillor for Cliviger and Worsthorne, said: "I was shocked when I saw this because the clerk is usually always on the ball. Ever since I've been on the borough council, there have been problems in getting bank statements delivered to the correct address."

Parish clerk Mr Watson and parish council chairman Cllr Pauline Frost-Hardwick were unavailable for comment last night.