A COMMUNITY leader says his local park is in such a bad state that if the council do not clean it up, locals may be forced to do the work themselves.

The park, off Fielding Lane, Great Harwood, has children's play equipment and a football pitch. But residents say that the equipment is in need of paint, and fences also need to be fixed.

A resident is so fed up at the state of the park that he has even suggested locals could raise enough cash themselves to spruce it up. And he fears the council are leaving the park alone because it is on a list to be closed.

But a council official has denied the park is on any list, and says civic officers will be happy to listen to residents' fears.

Stephen Sowerbutts, of Fielding Lane, is a resident and also treasurer of the Greenhills Residents' Association.

He said: "The land was originally donated by an elderly lady who lived in the area.

"What the council is trying to do is let the equipment go to rack and ruin and take it away. There is nothing wrong with it, except that it needs painting. But the longer they leave it, the worse it will get."

The park is owned by Hyndburn Council's housing department, but maintained by parks department staff, who say it is regularly inspected. But retired Mr Sowerbutts, 55, says it needs work carrying out urgently, and says local residents could even be found to help.

He said: "I am sure we could raise the funds to buy the paint and I am sure we could raise the volunteers to paint the equipment. It doesn't need a fortune spending, it just needs a little bit of thought."

A spokesman for the department said that the park was not earmarked for closure and it was receiving the same treatment as many other parks in the borough.

The spokesman said: "It isn't one down for removal, and not one down to be improved. It is just one that we are inspecting and leaving at that. We will quite happily discuss it with the residents."