AROUND £300,000 is to be spent on improving street lighting to help crack down on crime in Hyndburn.

Operation Twinkle will see more than 250 new lampposts put up in West Accrington and Church Kirk to ensure the areas, known to be crime hot spots, are well illuminated.

The £280,000 scheme will be equally funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Lancashire County Council.

Work by council contractors and United Utilities will start in the middle of next month and they should all be lit by October.

The area to be covered by the scheme runs between Blackburn Road and Hyndburn Road from the railway viaduct in Accrington through to the area surrounding Lyons Court in Church.

A recent Home Office report published last summer showed that well lit streets see a reduction in the levels of crime and the fear of crime.

Coun Bernard Dawson, portfolio holder for regeneration at Hyndburn Borough Council, said Operation Twinkle was devised to meet the borough council's community safety strategies .

He said: "When you look at crime statistics, police mention the standards of street lighting as a factor and the two areas of West Accrington and Church Kirk have higher levels than other areas in the borough.

"This will fit in with the community safety strategies we have, where we have to look at the problems of street lighting.

"Elderly people as well as the younger do feel safer when the streets are well lit, so it is also about the fear of crime as well as the levels. It is about what people want.

"One of the concerns has been about street lighting and this will go to alleviate this problem."

County and borough councillor Jean Battle said: "Residents have complained for quite a while now and it is good that they are getting what they asked for."

Harry Ballantyne, Hyndburn's regeneration manager, said: "It took nine months to get the money together and now we are in the new financial year we can get things started.

"We will start work in the middle of May and should be finished when the nights draw in in October.

"The council's internal works people will put the lampposts in and United Utilities will change over the power supply.

"We shouldn't disrupt motorists at all."