PENDLE Council is set to call on the government to take action on rogue landlords.

Senior Liberal Democrat member Coun Tony Greaves will urge all councillors at their meeting on Thursday to back a motion vowing to fight absentee landlords with a licensing scheme, and demanding a government inquiry into the problem.

Houses throughout large parts of Pendle, particularly Nelson and Colne, are owned by landlords who live a long way away from the properties and have allowed them to fall into disrepair.

Increased buy-to-let in the borough has also been blamed for keeping first-time buyers off the property ladder.

In his written motion to the meeting, Coun Greaves said: "The range of quality of landlords varies from the good to the poor.

"In some areas the growth of buy-to-let has resulted in a serious adverse impact on both the houses and local social conditions, and undermines initiatives to improve areas, such as those taking place as part of the Elevate housing market renewal programme.

"This council wishes to draw the unfortunate consequences of the growth in the buy-to-let market to the attention of the government and other appropriate bodies and requests the government to conduct a full inquiry into the matter and the policies that should be adopted."