BURNLEY is set to splash out £60,000 providing a home from home for Kosovar refugees.

Council housing chiefs are tonight expected to give the go-ahead for £7,500 improvements for up to eight empty council houses to provide a homely welcome for evacuee families.

Today, council chiefs revealed that families now staying at the Calderstones reception centre, Whalley, had visited Burnley - and liked what they saw.

"They viewed properties and parts of the town and were particularly impressed with the town centre," said council housing options manager Steve Tilly.

A report to tonight's housing committee says most of outlay for house improvements would be met by Government grant and the balance would come within eight months via rent income.

Mr Tilly said it was planned to rehouse the families in a cluster of houses, probably on the Griffin council estate.

He added that because some of the families were quite large, two properties may be converted into single homes in some cases. Councillors have been told there will be clear environmental benefits from bringing long term empty properties into use.

Mr Tilly said that while many evacuees had now returned to Kosovo, there was still a need to find longer term housing for those who remained.

Burnley is one of four district councils in Lancashire to have been asked to accommodate evacuees - along with Preston, South Ribble and Hyndburn - after expressing a firm interest in doing so.

At present Burnley is being asked to offer homes to five families, three of which will need two properties to cater for their bedroom needs.

Meetings have been held with Griffin ward councillors and community representatives, all of whom had welcomed the suggestion of accommodating the evacuees, the report adds.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.