FAMILIES have pleaded for cash to be spent in their community after claiming they are living in crumbling squalor.

Residents of Boland Street, in the Bastwell area of Blackburn, say they have been in dispute with Blackburn with Darwen council for two years over the future of their privately-owned homes. .

They say the area is set aside for regeneration cash and that they could be entitled to grants through the block renewal scheme -- in which homeowners and the council contribute to improvements.

But they claim the council is keeping them waiting as to whether they are actually entitled to money and all the time their homes are deteriorating further as many residents can't afford the necessary repairs.

Their latest action was to send a 31-strong petition to the council and Blackburn MP Jack Straw demanding to know what regeneration grants are planned.

Now residents claim they do not know if the properties are to be demolished, given improvement grants or if they have to pay for it themselves.

They said the structure of many properties is unstable, causing damp and subsiding walls.

Tasejad Hussain, 25, has lived on the street with his parents and brother for 15 years. He spent £15,000 improving his house but says some of the street's other residents cannot afford similar action.

He organised the petition after becoming outraged that families were living in pitiful conditions.

He said: "Luckily I've been in employment and able to afford it. If I'd not been working I could not have done it.

"The roof has got separated from one side of the buildings, and there is structural damage. The council told us it was beyond economic repair and left it. The council has to do something about it. We wanted a grant under the block renewal system. "The roofs have started leaking in and there is water coming into the houses.

"I've had rats and mice in my house. It's causing grief."

Shanaz Rasool has lived nearby with her husband and four children for 12 years.

They claim they cannot wallpaper the walls because they are cracking and are damp.

She said: "They should at least repair the structure or it will keep deteriorating. It has been getting worse. It was better before but now it's all unusable. I cannot live in this. "

Tariq Mahmood has lived in the street for eight years with his wife and four youngsters.

His house is damp and the ceilings sagging.

He said: "It has been getting worse. They said if I contribute £1,600 they would pay the rest and do it for me. I agreed, but after two weeks they said they couldn't come to a decision.

"This was three months back and I've never heard anything since. They sent men to have a look from the outside, but they need to come inside and see how we are living.

"They need to make a decision, either knock them down, providing funding or tell us they cannot do anything. We want a final decision.

"This leaves us unable to sell them."

Brian Bailey, assistant director of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We are aware of this issue. At the moment, this area is not on our list of immediate priorities but we are looking at areas benefiting from Single Regeneration Budget money as well as some of the neighbourhoods in most need through Neighbourhood Renewal funding."