A CALL has been made for extra efforts to regenerate problem homes in Nelson after councillors in Colne gave the go-ahead for an eyesore site to be revamped.

Pendle Council is to begin making a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for dilapidated 3 Laithe Street, in Waterside.

And, following a request from Colne Area Committee, investigations are also to be made about the prospects of renovating 5 Laithe Street, also said to be rundown.

And Labour Group leader Coun Mohammed Iqbal has called for similar attempts to revamp crumbling properties in Nelson. He said: “I think it is about time that in Nelson we started to use compulsory purchase orders for these properties. In Colne, they have been used on two or three occasions.”

Coun Iqbal pinpointed a property at 24 Lancaster Gate, which he said had been empty for 15 years and was now derelict.

Councillors on Nelson Area Committee agreed to refer the issue to Pendle Council’s executive for further consideration.

The council has also used CPO powers to buy a number of properties in Clitheroe Road, King Street and Holden Road, in Brierfield, as part of a £15million housing scheme there with Miller Regeneration.