RESIDENTS living near a restaurant on the site of a controversial former nightclub have blasted the owners for dumping rubbish at the back of the business.

The Cafe Bangla opened on Sunday and neighbours say a pile of rubbish from the refurbishment of the old Top Club, in Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors, is attracting rats and encouraging others to tip rubbish.

In the back alley outside the restaurant, builders' rubble is strewn about with vegetable oil containers, plaster board and boxes for kitchen equipment. The pile has been set on fire.

The club caused a storm when former owner Mohammed Nasir employed topless barmaids.

Earlier this year, new owner Mohammed Ali had to convince planners at Hyndburn that he could provide parking facilities for a 48-seat restaurant before they agreed to pass his plans.

Resident Michelle Wells said she had seen rats running around in the back alley.

"It's a right mess. The rubbish they cleared out from the club they set fire to. It's still there and it just looks a mess - and everybody else is dumping stuff," said the 37-year-old.

"People were doing it before to a certain extent, but it's got worse since they started.

"You can see the rats running about. It's not fair. They go home to Manchester but we have to live with the rubbish and the rats.

"We thought they would clear it when they opened but they haven't. It's about eight weeks since they started doing it up. It's just been building and building and they have just added to it."

Her husband, Alan, said: "If they intend to move it, fair enough, but there's all the suspended ceiling on there.

"We have already got a rat problem to a certain extent. Now it's just increased. It's got to stop."

Robert Maudsley, a fabricator with nearby WM and M Glaziers, said: "It's a mess. As soon as they took over and started doing it up, they just started slinging everything out the back door and there it's stayed.

"We have had a few travellers dump stuff there but they tend to dump trees, which are biodegradable.

"People see it there and think we will chuck theirs on and it's just grown."

Mr Ali, from Sale, Cheshire, owns three other restaurants outside East Lancashire. He said: "It's going to be cleared. We have arranged for someone to come and clear it.

"We had some problems with a previous builder and he made a mess. He started throwing rubbish out and it started building from there.

"It's an eyesore for us as well. I appreciate what they are saying but it's been a massive project, bigger than we anticipated."