I DISAGREE with Mrs H Hamer's view (Letters, September 4) that Whalley Range and Randal Street are 'grot spots' that let Blackburn down.

There are many other areas twice as bad, such as Infirmary, Johnstone Street, Bank Top, Highercroft, Mill Hill and Little Harwood, to name a few.

The millions that have 'supposedly' been spent have not been on housing, but on roads. Blackburn is a poor northern town with a council that does very little practically, but is good with statistics which aim to look good on paper.

The area might be kept cleaner if the bins were emptied regularly and if the council clamped down on businesses which don't dispose of their commercial waste correctly.

As L Lawes mentioned in the same issue, the closure of car parks has meant that people visiting the town centre (the few that even contemplate getting into the town!) park in nearby streets and leave their mess behind.

The solution is to go back to basics and have regular street cleaners and a more efficient cleansing service that empties bins regularly.

Why don't the council allow the refugees to earn their keep by giving them these worthwhile jobs of cleansing the streets instead of loitering around town and local areas?

S PATEL (Mrs), Randal Street, Blackburn.