ROGUE landlords and homeowners are being warned that there is no hiding place when it comes to cleaning up Pendle’s streets.

Environmental officials in the borough are one of the keenest in Lancashire for serving clean-up notices on untidy households and scruffy gardens.

Under legislation provided by the Town and County Planning Act, the council can issue ‘Section 215’ notices on offenders.

If the condition of any land ‘adversely affects the amenity of the neighbourhood’ then the town hall can step in.

Nearly 140 homes in Nelson, another 31 in Colne, 20 in Brierfield and five locations in Barnoldswick and Earby have been tackled under the process this year alone.

Work in Colne has mainly centred on terraced homes in the Waterside district, one of the town’s oldest residential areas.

But in West Craven, the rules have been used to tidy up prominent site like the Seven Stars pub and the former joiner’s workshop in Bank Street, Barnoldswick, and the former Victoria Mill in Earby.

Bryan Thompson, funded and special projects manager, said: “We work hard to tackle these problems and are on the streets every day to make sure that environmental crime gets cleaned up quickly.

“And we send a strong message out to those responsible that we will not tolerate untidy areas which could cause obstructions or accidents.

“If we have to take tough action for people to mend their ways and start doing their bit to keep Pendle clean and tidy, then we’ll do it “If residents and businesses don’t comply with the notice we can remove the waste and recover the expenses from any action we take.”

Another 70 properties in Nelson are currently being targeted with clean-up notices, with large concentrations in Pine Street, St Mary’s Street, Castle Street, Smith Street and Belgave Street.

Twenty-six homes in Colne are still being worked on, with Waterside and town centre homes again the focus.

In Brierfield there are only eight properties left to deal with, including homes in Oxford Street, dubbed the cheapest in England last month, High Street and Walter Street.

The council has confirmed that 767 addresses across Pendle were served with warning letters during the 2009-10 financial year.

If they were ignored then full notices were served.