COUNCIL bosses have begun action to buy up a terraced house which has fallen into disrepair.

According to Blackburn with Darwen Council, the property at 14 Seven Trees Avenue in Blackburn is in extremely poor repair with the front ground floor front and rear windows and doors covered in metal mesh.

A rear upstairs window has been smashed and open to access and the rear garden has been mostly inaccessible due to it being overgrown and full of rubbish.

Internally is also in a poor state of repair and comprises large amounts of household waste.

The property has reportedly been occupied by squatters and has suffered from fly-tipping, causing a severe nuisance to the local neighbourhood.

The property is subject of frequent complaints regarding its condition from both local councillors and local residents

Executive member for growth and development, Cllr Phil Riley, and his finance and governance counterpart, Cllr Andy Kay, have approved proposals to begin the compulsory purchase order process following unsuccessful negotiations with the owner.

Cllr Riley said: "Substantial efforts have been made by the empty housing project manager to identify and contact the owner to encourage him to bring the property back into use.

"The council has tried to correspond with the owner since 2016 but he has not fully engaged, other than verbally stating in April 2018 that the property was to be sold.

"The property was re-inspected in September 2018, November 2018 and January this year but there was no evidence of the property being for sale and still remained in a poor state of repair with a significant amount of fly-tipping in the rear garden.

"This culminated in a meeting with the owner in February, who stated that he would clear the property within six weeks and invite three agents for a sale valuation.

"In March and contrary to his earlier statement, he informed the Empty Properties Team that he would not be selling the property but would commence refurbishment by having the leaking roof

repaired.

"The property was re-inspected and the roof was being repaired.

"Workmen on site advised that the property was in a very poor state of repair and that they had been instructed to carry out the work by neighbours at 6 Seven Trees Avenue rather than the

known owner.

"In April, Environmental Health sent a letter to the owner to remove the fly tipping from the rear garden or face prosecution.

"While most of this rubbish was subsequently removed, it is now severely overgrown with brambles making it almost inaccessible at the rear.

"Regular external property inspections have since been undertaken but the property continues to remain in a state of disrepair.

"Letters have continued to be sent to the owner but no response has been received.

"As refurbishment works have not continued, this has resulted in CPO action being recommended as the most appropriate form of action, as a last resort."