COUNCIL chiefs who ordered the owner of a smelly house to clean up their act are now threatening to take them to court.

And the people who complained about the property have said that the smell had gone.

Mohammed Khan, 28, manager of Intack post office, Accrington Road, Blackburn, made a complaint to the Environmental Health Department of Blackburn with Darwen Council after customers had raised concerns of a smell coming from a house next door, making shoppers feel sick.

Mr Khan said he had been forced to bleach the walls of the shop and use air freshener and fans in an attempt to get rid of the smell, after it had caused him to lose trade.

Mr Khan said: "The smell was really bad, especially in the mornings and customers said it was making them feel sick and was putting them off coming into the post office."

Environmental and health officers visited the house and believed the smell was caused by damp sewage, rubbish or maybe a rodent, and then served an enforcement notice on the occupier on June 15, which was not complied with.

Coun Salim Lorgat, Blackburn with Darwen executive member for housing and neighbourhoods, said: "The statutory notice gave the householders 10 days to clean up the rubbish.

"They have not done so and now council staff have removed the rubbish and seek to recover the cost of the operation, if necessary, via the courts."

But Mr Khan said that the smell had gone before the rubbish had been taken away.

He thinks that the humidity of last week is what was making the smell worse, and now says that customers are starting to come back.

The neighbours refused to comment.