RATS are being spotted every day in some parts of Burnley.

Empty homes and waste ground, litter, pest control staff shortages and the national explosion in the rat population have all contributed to the increase in sightings which have more than doubled in a year in some areas.

Now council bosses are to take action to try and stop the problem getting any worse.

The biggest increases in rat numbers have been in the Daneshouse, Stoneyholme, Bank Hall and Queensgate areas of the town, according to a council report.

Daneshouse with Stoneyholme, one of the borough's most deprived areas, saw rat sightings leap from around 35 in the first two months of last year to more than 70 between July and August 2005.

In Queensgate the number of sightings jumped from 10 to more than 30 in the same period.

Council chiefs are now planning a raft of measures to try and stop the rodent explosion, including baiting rats in sewers, looking at kitchen waste recycling and employing more pest control officers.

Other plans include a programme of education to teach people the reasons for the spread of vermin and providing pest control for businesses.

Coun Peter Kenyon, whose Queensgate ward is one of the worst affected, said: "I received a number of complaints about rats and so raised the issue and at first thought it maybe localised to the Colne Road area.

"However, it now seems the problem is more widespread than that and is borough-wide. The problem needs to be tackled in a number of ways, including employing extra staff and educating people of the right way to dispose of food waste."

The issue of rats will be discussed at tomorrow night's council meeting.