THE government has been told to act to stop the scandal of empty homes in the East Lancashire by an all party group of MPs who were "shocked'' when they saw the scale of housing dereliction in the area.

The House of Commons Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee visited Burnley, Bootle, Liverpool and Manchester as part of an investigation into the problem.

And now they are demanding "radical intervention in some inner urban areas where the housing market has collapsed''.

That includes much of East Lancashire -- and they quote letters from residents of Burnley and Darwen about the agony of unsaleable homes in derelict streets which were once desirable residential areas.

The report tells of terraced properties in the area once worth £20,000 to £30,000 now worth less than £5,000 with large mortgages outstanding.

In certain parts of the South East such homes would be worth £250,000, it says.

The committee wants urgent moves across whole towns, cities and urban zones to renew such decaying urban areas to make them attractive to a broad mix of existing and potential residents and revive the housing market within them.