PEOPLE who live under the threat of violence and harassment will get extra points, under a new system for letting council houses in Hyndburn.

Town hall chiefs have decided to overhaul the system for letting their properties following a change in demand.

And if councillors on the housing committee adopt the new system, people who live under the threat of violence will be given 'insecurity' points.

Families who are forced to live apart will get higher priority, along with people living in insecure tenancies and temporary accommodation.

Tenants living in private flats lacking basic amenities, such as no hot water or kitchen, will also be awarded more letting points.

The decision to review the policy has been taken following a fall in demand for council houses and flats. The last time the borough's housing policy was reviewed was five years ago, when people were awarded points according to the number of children they have and age.

In 1991, there were 2,884 applications on the list, compared to 1,535 last year and the number of empty houses let out to new tenants has also risen by more than 80 per year.

Gwyneth Sarkar, Hyndburn's head of housing, said: "Our current policy does not automatically take into account the needs of people who live in temporary accommodation or under the constant threat of harassment.

"There has been some difficulty in Hyndburn in filling empty properties and we want to make sure the people in the most need get to the top of the list. Hopefully, the new policy will reduce the number of empty properties and so increase the revenue we receive in rents."

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