A PROSPECTIVE Rossendale MP today branded a building site a "death trap" and called on the council to take urgent action to protect children.

Michael Carr, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Rossendale and Darwen, raised the alarm months ago urging the local authority to cordon off the Beaufort Road site in Weir.

But his fears worsened last week when children were seen playing near the site.

The site is under renovation to make way for a new housing development.

He fears a serious accident is waiting to happen and urged other parents to warn their children to stay away from the site.

Mr Carr, who lives in Philips Road, Weir, today said: "Children will be children as they are naturally very curious but I fear it's an accident waiting to happen and a potential death trap for anybody playing on the site."

He added: "I have written to the council on two separate occasions but I have not heard anything.

"It seems that site preparation and some excavation of the old mill basements have taken place but little else.

"The site is not secure, the fencing around the site has collapsed in a number of places and there are gaps in the fence.

"Local residents have been seen walking their dogs through the site and children of primary school age have been seen walking through the site on their way home from school and playing in the area.

"Inside the site there are a number of potentially very dangerous hazards to children, including sheer drops of several metres from one level of the site to another.

"There is a considerable amount of rusty metal and heaps of rubble. There is also a significant length of exposed yellow piping on the site, which I understand may be the gas main.

" I would urge the council to take urgent action to prevent a serious accident from occurring."

A spokesperson for Rossendale Council said: "We apologise to Michael Carr for the lack of reply to his letter on this issue.

"We do not feel that the council has the appropriate powers to make this site safe and shall be writing to Mr Carr to recommend an appropriate course of action to refer the matter to the highways authority."

The site developers, P and S Construction, were unavailable for comment.