WAR has been declared on Hyndburn's rats amid fears the borough's rodent population is due to rise by a quarter in the next year.

The prediction, in a Hyndburn Council report, came as the borough's top environmental officer said rubbish on streets and warm winters, allowing year-round breeding, are major factors in the rise.

Steve Todd said building work which opens sewers and disturbs rats, as well as bird feed and takeaway food and containers left on the ground were also to blame.

Hyndburn Council has poisoned rats, dropped a call-out fee for pest controllers, introduced wheelie bins for rubbish black spots, improved street and alley cleaning and emphasised the importance of waste management, Mr Todd said.

From April 2003 until February this year, the council received 438 complaints about rats. Of those, 60 complaints were from people living in Accrington's central ward, 50 from Church, 44 from Spring Hill and 30 from people in Peel.

The borough's problems mirror what is happening elsewhere in East Lancashire.

Mr Todd said: "It's no surprise these places also have the worst cases of people not managing household rubbish. We've recently had complaints in Oswaldtwistle, where there are also problems with rubbish on streets. Rats are opportunistic," he warned.

"But there other issues regarding major demolition and building work in Spring Hill and Accrington town centre, where sewers have been opened."

He said the demolished Rist wire factory, between Accrington and Oswaldtwistle, was an example. Last October, Blackburn with Darwen Council launched a clampdown as part of its Thrash the Trash campaign after sightings of rats rocketed by almost a third in a year.

Underground sewers have been baited with poison in Spring Hill, Central ward, Church and Rishton, representing 75 per cent of the urban area. Poison is rotated because rats develop immunity.

In 1998/9, the council had 201 requests from residents for pest controllers. In 1999/2000, the figure rose to 603. Annual figures since then were 402, 383, 355 and 438 last year.

Hyndburn Council introduced an £8.50 call-out charge in 2001, which Mr Todd described as a nominal fee.

But council leader Coun Peter Britcliffe said it annoyed householders and he suspected requests for help had fallen because of it. He added: "That's why we were anxious and the charge was stopped. Now, we expect to see an increase in call-outs. Incidents and complaints are quite high across the borough. A truer picture will emerge, showing the real extent of the problem.

"We are determined to control rats as best we can. But rats are clever. A few years ago we put down morphine and they now think it makes a nice sandwich," he said.

He said contracts are being agreed with builders for forthcoming regeneration work in the Lonsdale Street area.