RESIDENTS shouted that a committee was a "waste of space" when a petition to close a "corridor of crime" footpath was deferred to another meeting.

One person from Standen Hall Drive, Lane Head, Burnley, spoke on behalf of the 52 who had signed the petition saying there had been a lot of crime in the area and quoted figures from police about the number of incidents.

He said: "One woman has given me a list of what has happened to her.

"Garden ornaments have been taken from the front of her bungalow; a large vase of flowers removed from her bathroom; persistant damage to her fences and slugs and dirt on her windows; beer cans, bottles and take-aways left in her garden and, in May, chips and a burger were found in her front room."

The residents blame the incidents on the footpath from Saxifield Street to Standen Hall Close.

Their spokesman added: "The great majority of residents want a better quality of life and a more attractive living environment and if this alleyway is closed they will have it." But another resident, whose wife is an invalid, appealed for the short-cut to remain open because his wife uses it to travel in her invalid carriage to shops, the doctors and the library.

Highways manager Ian Parker told the planning and environment committee: "Clearly what the committee is deciding between is a conflict of legitimate interests. It is a difficult situation to manage."

He said the council was putting together guidance on such matters and asked that a decision on what course of action to take be deferred until that was ready.

Coun James Whittaker suggested they write to the Secretary of State to see if the council had grounds for closing the footpath after realising they had made a mistake putting it there in the first place.

The committee's decision to defer a final ruling led to an angry outburst from the public gallery and shouts of "waste of space".

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