HOW can Blackburn councillors possibly be thinking of a 23 per cent rent increase? (LET, December 5).

For the past six months, the communications phone from my flat to the intercom on the 'secure' door has not worked.

The rear entrance to the block of flats had its door smashed in by vandals and it has been like that for at least five weeks.

And despite repeated calls about noisy and dirty neighbours, nothing has been done.

They have the cheek to talk about putting up rents or losing services. What services?

No-one on the council takes a blind bit of notice of its tenants and their problems.

I invite any councillors to call and inspect the block of flats I live in and for them to say the rent is fair now - never mind putting it up.

M J HAWTREY, Ellenshaw Close, Darwen.

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