A DARWEN councillor has warned of a “plague of rats” because of residents failing to take bins in.

Coun Roy Davies, from Sudell ward, said bins left out were being contaminated by others, and owners then refused to deal with the problem.

He said: “People just say ‘well it wasn’t me that contaminated it’, and it gets left again.

"Bins then get set on fire and attract rats, and that’s something I’m very worried about.

"It’s the last thing we want. I am speaking up against it, and I’m putting signs up all over the area.

“In some places we’re having success. We just need more to stand up and take pride in the area."