HOUSEHOLDERS who regularly suffer from flooding in their homes have recieved a promise of more support thanks to an out-of-hours shake up at Rossendale Council.

Police, firefighters and members of the public will be able to telephone a hotline, which opens today.

And anyone who calls the authority's new Whitworth-based central console on 01706 853121 will get through to an operator who will swiftly contact Town Hall staff rostered for out-of-hours duties. The new scheme makes use of Rossendale's existing telephone console which, until today, was used only for warden calls to the area's sheltered housing projects.

Councillor Graham Pearson, council leader, said: "It is using an existing resource more sensibly.

"It isn't only for floods. It could be that a tree has blown over in the night and needs removing.

"People have rung the police in the past and the police have not known who to contact at the Town Hall.

"We are providing up-to-date information to allow the console operator to know who is on the rota for that particular time and for that particular area of responsibility."

Councillors have checked the workflow at the Whitworth console and are satisfied that the system has the capacity for the extra work.

Councillor Pearson added: "We seem to be getting more floods and it is important we can respond efficiently.

"We have long had a similar system for winter-gritting but are now expanding it all year round."