A LANCASHIRE environment chief is demanding a new law to help councils in the fight against grot-spots.

Lancashire County Council's environment supremo, County Councillor Jean Yates, has written to the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and all the Lancashire MPs calling for action.

She has appealed for them to join her in the fight against dumping of rubbish on private land and feels the law needs to be tightened up for people who make their own property an eye-sore, fly-tipped bin bags and burnt out cars.

County Coun Yates, who recently opened the Beyond LA21 environmental conference in Lancashire, explained: "County and district councils take a great pride in making sure household rubbish is collected and as much of it as possible is recycled. But this hard work is often overshadowed by the filth and dirt that is left on private land.

"We need to find new legislation that allows Environmental Health Officers to resolve this situation on an urgent basis. One dumped black bag will never be lonely as someone will always ensure that dozens of others are added within hours.

"I would like to see powers introduced that make it easier for councils to step in and remove rubbish that makes our communities look untidy -- not to mention threatening health."

At the moment, councils do have the power to move abandoned vehicles and clear away rubbish, but only after going through lengthy legal procedures to establish who owns the property and whether, in the case of something like a car, it is truly abandoned.

However, councils often receive many complaints from local people when the rubbish is dumped in public view before they can legally move it.