4PEOPLE living and working in the Kay Street area of Darwen have demanded action to clean up piles of rubbish including plastic syringes.

Discarded boxes, clothes and litter form a trail down the back street behind Stop and Drop dry cleaners and continue on to the car park on the corner of Tythebarn Street.

Refuse collectors empty the wheelie bins in the back street but residents and workers say rubbish on the floor is continuing to pile up.

Blackburn with Darwen Council said the area is private land and not their responsibility. Borough staff have offered to clean up the area this time but attempts are being made to trace the land owner.

John Francis, owner of the dry cleaners, said: "We are sick of this. It has been getting worse. We pay our business rates like everyone else and should not have to put up with such a mess."

One shop assistant said: "On Wednesday someone had dumped rubbish in our back yard which I had to clean up. It starts in a small pile on the back street and builds up. If it's not cleared up we're going to end up with rats."

A resident in Tythebarn Street said he complained to the council after finding a pile of plastic syringes next to the rubbish at the side of the car park.

He said: "When I went to look this week I discovered about 50 syringes loose on the ground. There are a lot of children in this area and some play on the car park in the evening, so it is worrying."