WORRIED residents have launched a campaign to urge police and council bosses to make their town safe.

They are demanding more CCTV cameras and police patrols to combat a rise in crime.

More than 200 people have signed an online petition started by Nick Yates, a customer of the sandwich shop hit by an arson attack last week.

He launched the campaign after Farny’s Sarnies, in Burnley Road was set alight by a gang of teenage vandals.

The 20-year-old, from Victoria Road, said the arson attack on a shop he used regularly was the last straw after a series of crimes affecting him, his family and friends.

The petition entitled ‘Make Padiham Safe Again’ already has 210 of the 500 supporters needed for a debate at Burnley Council.

Council bosses said they were working with police on create an action plan to tackle rising crime in the town.

The council operates four fully monitored CCTV cameras in Padiham town centre compared to 77 in Burnley.

The petition said: “Padiham is slowly being destroyed by the newer generation with burglaries and arson attacks on shops and home owners.

“We need CCTV back up and running throughout the town.

“More effort needs making from Burnley Council to make this town safe again.

“The town needs more deterrent measures in place to ensure anti social and criminal activity is prevented, or captured for evidence.”

Mr Yates said: “I am a regular Farny’s customer and the arson attack was the last straw for me. In the last couple of years my house has had a window smashed, a neighbour had his car window broken and tyres slashed and someone tried to force the back doors of my dad’s firm.

“There have been lots of burglaries in the town centre and crime has got a lot worse in the last few years.

“We need more CCTV cameras, there are four in Padiham and nearly 80 in Burnley, which says it all.

“Padiham also needs more police patrols, on foot and in cars, and the full re-opening of the police station.

“We don’t need an action plan, we need something actually doing.”

Matt Farnworth, owner of Farny’s Sarnies, said: “It’s going to be weeks if not months before we can re-open as there has been a lot of damage.

“Something definitely needs to be done as there seems to have been a lot more crime in Padiham in the last couple of years, especially burglaries.

“We definitely need more coverage with CCTV cameras and steps to ensure they are working.

“Fully re-opening the police station would also be good.” A Burnley Council spokesman said: “There are fixed, monitored CCTV cameras in Padiham, and they form part of the wider work we carry out in the town to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime.

“Padiham has been identified as suffering from problems with issues such as burglary, vehicle crime and shoplifting.

“The police are leading on this and have developed an action plan focusing on the targeting of offenders.

“This has included increased patrols, deployment of mounted police and increased activity by police ‘targeting teams’.”

Inspector Catherine Platt said: “We are working with the council and have developed an action plan which has seen us step up activity in Padiham.

“We have made a number of arrests which have included two people we think were responsible for a number of burglaries in the area a couple of weeks ago.”

Cllr Jean Cunningham, Hapton with Park representative said: “I shall take the issues raised in this petition up with the council, its officers and the police.

“We do need to do something about this.”

Padiham police station closed its front desk in 2011.