RESIDENTS in a ‘forgotten’ Darwen street are demanding talks with the council over ‘disgusting houses left to rot for five years’.

Three houses in Harwood Street were bought by Blackburn with Darwen Council five years ago when the block was earmarked for demolition under the Housing Market Renewal (HMR) scheme.

But residents fought the plan and surveys could not prove the properties were unfit for living in.

Later, neighbouring Queen Street was compulsory purchased by the council and demolished under HMR, except for 14 houses which would have made a block behind unstable if removed.

Now residents of Harwood Street say the empty houses in their block are posing health and safety threats and the houses in Queen Street are blighting the area.

Denyse Parry, who lives in Harwood Street, said: “The council spent £226,000 buying three properties in our block and they have been left and left and left.

“They attract lead thieves, anti-social behaviour from kids, and there’s even been rough sleepers in them.

“There’s a real worry that a fire could start in one of those houses and spread all the way along.

“We have asked the council to do something with them and the ones on Queen Street, but we never get anywhere.

“We can’t afford to move because our houses are worth nothing because of the blight caused by these properties.”

Twin Valley Homes will soon be starting work on over 90 homes on land in the cleared Queen Street and Hindle Street area.

Subhan Ali of Blackburn with Darwen Council said no money was available to start any new projects in the area after the HMR programme ended prematurely due budget cuts.

He said: “Twin Valley Homes in partnership with the council have started their programme to redevelop the Queen Street/Hindle Street and Woodvale clearance site which will bring further confidence and security to the area.

“We will continue to assess options on how to incorporate the Queen Street block into future regeneration proposals but these will be subject to any funding being available from Central Government."