The owner of Blackburn's infamous V10 Polymers site has been ordered to clear up the land or the council will charge him for doing it.

The former plastic factory in Paterson Street went up in flames in February for the fifth time in as many years.

Five fire engines attended the incident with crews drawing water from the canal to battle the flames, while police cordoned off the area around Mosley Street and Derham Street.

The site has been plagued by fires over the last five years, with various landowners promising to clear the rubbish and make good with the piece of land.

In 2021, work was being done in order to make it accessible for emergency services in case of future fires.

Since then there has been two, one last year in May and the most recent one on February 22.

In 2021 landowner, Dennis Rogers said he wanted to begin clearing the site, which is a blight on the area and an eyesore for people living in nearby streets, so building could commence on a social housing development.

On Thursday last week Blackburn with Darwen Council planning committee approved the service of an enforcement notice on the site's owner.

Martin Kelly, strategic director for growth for development at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “I can confirm the council’s planning service has served a formal notice under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to the former V10 Polymers site on Paterson Street, Blackburn.

“This notice requires the land owner to remove the waste that is spilling from their site onto neighbouring roads and pathways, and to repair all of their perimeter fences, walls and gates to ensure the site is fully secure.

“If the land owner fails to comply with the notice, the council may undertake the works necessary to secure this site and take all the legal steps required to recover the costs from the land owner.”

V10 Polymers site owner Dennis Rogers said: “We are working with partners to try and clear the site.

“The problem is the landfill tax. It is a long process.”

He was granted planning permission for the social housing development of 88 units but nothing subsequently materialised.

Late approval for a grant from the government to clear the site - a landfill tax relief - expired in March 2021 before it could be used, with the Environment Agency also unable to help.