THE new owner of a former plastics recycling site which has been devastated by four fires this year has vowed to build affordable homes in its place.

A meeting was held at the Ivy Street Community Centre in Blackburn where residents heard the new plans for the former V10 polymers site in Paterson Street.

The site has been plagued with fires since August, which led to several homes being evacuated due to the large fires and thick smoke.

The meeting revealed updates from the Environment Agency, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Blackburn with Darwen Council, and the site's new owner, Dennis Rogers.

Hundreds of firefighters have been involved in the fires, with 90 involved in one of the incident's at its peak.

At the meeting, Mr Rogers, who owns Driftdale Ltd, said: "We have taken control of this site and are looking to submit a pre-planning application for a mixed-use development that will include affordable homes by the end of January.

"There will be ongoing works to clear the site ahead of construction and we ask neighbours to bear with us whilst we do this necessary work.

"This time next year we hope to have developed the first phase of the site which will provide a vast improvement for residents in the area have had to put up with this eyesore of a site for many years.

"I would like to thank the residents who attended the meeting and for taking the time to come and listen and ask questions.

"I understand it’s been a difficult and uncertain time and hope this has given residents some much needed reassurances.

"There is currently 24-hour security guards manning the site and CCTV cameras have been positioned close to the site."

Residents had called for something to be done with the site after the latest fire in November.

Mr Rogers confirmed he was committed to employing people from the area to build the homes.

Chairman of the meeting, Sayyed Osman, director of adults services and prevention at the council, said: "We would like to thanks Mr Rogers for taking the time to come and meet with residents and outline his vision for the future of the site.

"The Council and our other partners are committed to working with Mr Rogers to ensure this site is no longer a blight on the community and residents benefit from a positive development in the near future."

Each fire incident lasted several days while firefighters battled with the flames.

A section of the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal was shut off to avoid contamination spreading through the waterways.

A family of ducks were rescued during the second fire in September.

Neil Hardiman, Lancashire Fire and Rescue’s Service delivery manager, said: "Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service appreciate the ongoing support of the community and partners and also welcome the recent involvement of Mr Rogers.

"We would also like to reassure residents that we regard this site as a potentially high risk premises and maintain a high level of planning and preparedness should further fires occur.

"The fires at the site are being treated as suspicious and investigations are ongoing.

"If anybody has any information contact Police on 101."