ALOT of work has been done in recent years to clamp down on the menace of hoax callers.

Prominent warnings have been issued through the media and advertising campaigns. In addition, extra powers have seen the phones of those responsible being barred.

That is why it is so concerning today to hear that hoax calls in Burnley look set to double this year.

In the whole of last year there were just 20 incidents.

In the first three months of 2011 there have been nine.

Firefighters are unsure of the reasons and investiga-tions will centre on whether a single person is behind several of the incidents.

The latest hoax came on Sunday when firefighters rushed to a house after being told four people were trapped inside.

When they arrived, they found nothing.

According to firefighters, the hoax caller had even coughed and spluttered over the phone to make the situation appear genuine.

These incidents are putting a massive drain on the fire service.

Police need to catch those responsible as soon as possible.

Strong penalties should be handed out by the courts to send a message that such incidents will not be tolerated.