COUNCILLOR Granville Lord can't escape from complaints about "filthy" Padiham centre...because his own wife is doing the complaining.

Shopkeeper Pat Lord says if prizes were awarded for the dirtiest town centre in Lancashire, Padiham would win every time.

Pat has directed her complaints at council officers and local councillors, including her own husband, who is the newly-appointed chairman of Burnley Council's Padiham and Hapton area management committee.

"Everyone in the town feels the same," says Pat, owner of Pat's Pantry, Burnley Road. "It is filthy and now the leaves are down it is also dangerous in some places.

"While Burnley Council and UK Waste are finding extra money to support a clean-up campaign in Burnley, Padiham has only one street sweeper.

"Padiham is a town in its own right not just a precinct or suburb.

"It is disgusting that more is not done. The cleaner sweeps the town centre every weekday.

"At weekends nothing is done and the side streets are swept only once every three weeks.'' She added: "People complain to their councillors but nothing is done. There are sick of it, they are incensed with it.''

Coun Lord, who represents the Hapton with Park ward, said: "As a councillor I get complaints every day about the litter problem. And when I go home for tea I get more ear-bending from Pat.

"But she is very much her own woman and feels strongly about the problem.''

Coun Lord added: "The issue has been discussed at the area management committee and at Burnley Council.

"One of the problems is that we have so many takeaways at the top of the town, bottom of the town and in the Victoria Road area.

"The litter boxes on the lamp standards are not big enough and so it has been agreed to order six large concrete litter bins for the town centre.''

Burnley environmental services manager Mike Street said the schedule for street cleansing in Padiham was being carried out in accordance with the contract, with a manual sweeper supported by a mechanical sweeper covering the town centre on weekdays.

He agreed that cleansing at weekends was minimal.

He added: "We are talking with the Padiham and Hapton area management committee about how to improve the situation within the resources available.

"One of the ways we have suggested is by providing bigger and more robust litter bins."

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