A CRACK new team is to tackle Burnley's arsonists by clamping down on rogue landlords and homeowners who leave empty houses to rot.

Under new legal powers, council officers will make sure that the owners of affected properties are made responsible for them.

The move comes after the inquiry into Burnley's riots urged Burnley Borough Council to tackle the issue of fires in empty properties and rubbish-filled.

The Task Force report said that the council should seek urgent discussions with landlords with a view to establishing agreed guidelines covering the responsibilities of landlords and tenants.

Burnley's MP Peter Pike has in the past said that the town's 4,000 empty homes are a "millstone" around Burnley's neck, attracting fly-tipping and arsonists.

He has made it clear that his last wish before standing down at the next general election is to see the problem resolved.

A spokesman for Burnley's Fire and Rescue Service said: "This is part of our overall strategy of working together with the police and the council to solve this problem.

"While we are out dealing with fires in empty homes and rubbish fires we could be somewhere else.

"It is a constant drain on our resources."

A Community Action Team was also set up earlier this year to deal with the problem of arson by tackling rubbish-filled areas.

The team works with local organisations, such as environmental health, police and neighbourhood renewal groups, operating in five local areas, Stoneyholme, Barclay, Fulledge, Coal Clough and Daneshouse.

Andrew Mason, head of environmental health and cleansing, said: "As a landlord or homeowner you will now have a responsibility if the property is not occupied to keep it secure and obviously that has been a big problem for the town in the past.

"We are expecting landlords to fulfil their obligations to the people who live near their properties.

"The sanctions that we can impose will include the serving of a legal notice requiring work to be carried out.

"However, if the work is not done, we will now be able to do the work and bill them for it."

Mr Mason said that at the moment the problem needed a "considerable" amount of the council's resources.

Initially three full time officers will spend their time patrolling the streets and targeting areas which are known to suffer from high incidences of empty properties.

"We do know that some areas of the town suffer more than others and in Burnley there are a significant amount of areas -- which is a real issue."

He also said he wanted home owners to acknowledge their responsibilities.

"People get a real sense of fear from being surrounded by empty homes", Mr Mason added.

The council's executive member for public protection and community safety Councillor Charles Bullas said: "We know from the Task Force report that dealing with these sort of problems is very important to the people of Burnley.

"What we want to do is act quickly to reduce people's fears and give them confidence in their own communities.

"I would ask everyone to help us by reporting problems that they see in their area so that we can investigate them as quickly as possible."