REGARDING Eric Leaver's comments (LET, October 10) it doesn't really matter what I call the events of June 24-25 in Burnley. It is a matter of semantics on my part whether they be disturbances or riots.

The Task Force have called them, I am told, disturbances and certainly the council minutes of the June meeting did -- as did also the executive committee report to the last council meeting (portfolio holder Councillor Rafique Malik). The police have held the view all along that the incidents in Burnley were disturbances and it is what they say on this that is relevant.

In Manchester, the police called the Oldham incidents riots and, as a result, the insurance companies are trying to disclaim responsibility. I was asked my view on this action by the insurers, which I condemned, and also at the same time what I thought of Lancashire police's view that the Burnley incidents were disturbances. I expressed support for that view.

They were unacceptable incidents whatever they were called and we don't want a repeat.

The borderline is a difficult one to judge -- what of the incidents after last December's football match in which we had town centre problems -- were they riots?

My comments related to the insurance position. Should insurers get away with it on semantics? Not in my view.

The position of Burnley newsagent Mr Mohammed Sarffraz is different. He was not insured and I am sympathetic to him. He has not come back to me by letter or in person, although I have asked him to do so several times.

His loss is a big one and arises from these problems and I don't think it helps him one bit what the incidents were described as.

Every year, I get people who have suffered a loss and are not insured, flood, fire, robbery -- so his case is not totally unique, but it is a problem.

Do we always expect the public purse to meet every crisis? It isn't quite as easy as Eric Leaver might think or suggest. Clearly, in each instance the relevant factors all need to be considered and if Mr Sarffraz wishes me to pursue his case, he should see me again.

PETER PIKE, MP for Burnley.