FOUR Burnley houses are to go up for auction with a guide price of just £8,000 each.

The houses, in Queensberry Road, Baker Street and Piccadily Road, are due to be sold by auctioneers Pugh in Manchester later this week.

They are all described as terraced properties in need of renovation or refurbishment.

Trinity ward councillor Tony Martin said he hoped the low asking price would attract buyers who would then want to bring the houses up to scratch.

He said: “I am very pleased they have gone on the market because we have got an awful lot of empty properties. I hope the low guide price will attract somebody.

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“It is absolutely fantastic if somebody is prepared to take them on and make a go of it.

“It is not good for the image of the area when houses are boarded up.”

According to the Land Registry Index, a house in Queensberry Road sold for £22,730 in December last year. Another went for £72,950 in 2007.

The councillor said he would prefer the houses to be bought by owner-occupier investors rather than landlords.

He said: “I am not happy with speculative investors doing them up and putting them on the market for rent.

“They might live out of the borough and they might not look after them. The properties would end up in a vicious circle where they are put back on the market.

“I would rather they went to owner occupiers. It is much better if you get somebody who is going to live in them themselves and take a bit of pride in them.”

He added that he hoped renovation works would improve the image of the areas.

Coun Martin said: “Piccadily Road has some very nice properties in it and some in a bit of dereliction.

“Doing the houses up will stop the rest of the properties on the street declining because if you get one or two houses boarded up, the neighbours think the area is going down.”