A BURNLEY community group called in the council's top man to help with their latest clean-up operation.

The Prestwich and Athol Street South Residents Association (PASSRA) is transforming a litter strewn plot of land into community allotments.

They invited Burnley Borough Council leader Stuart Caddy along to the Chicken Hill allotments site to the clean-up work first hand.

The group removed rubbish, which they claim has been piling up for more than 30 years, from the site. They invited Coun Caddy to their latest group meeting to tell him about the work they are doing in the Trinity area of Burnley.

Athol Street South resident Sue McGough said: "We were sick of people coming up here and leaving their rubbish so we decided to do something about it."

Secretary of PASSRA Victoria Murray said: "We met councillor Caddy at one of the council's face to face road shows and told him what we are trying to do.

"He knows the area well and he agreed to come to one of our meetings and told us he would try to do whatever could." Coun Caddy said: "This project is all about the residents and their community, when people have ownership of what is going on in their neighbourhoods.

"Other community groups can learn from initiatives like this. The main thing is that people are putting civic pride back into their areas."

They have been assisted in their efforts by area worker Sandra Wilkinson from the Joined up Thinking organisation.

After the clean-up is complete and the site is cleared PASSRA is aiming to secure funding from the council to landscape the plot of land.

They also made a successful bid to have their back alley secured by the council's new alleygating scheme. The alley now has locked gates at both ends.