THESE are Blackburn and Darwen’s worst litter grot-spots, according to Lancashire Telegraph readers.

Debate about litter has been raging since a Blackburn with Darwen councillor branded residents “dirty sods” for the amount of rubbish on the streets.

Lib Dem Paul Browne said he was tired of collecting up a sack-full of food and drink wrappers on his walk to the shop each morning.

Meanwhile, Blackburn with Darwen Council bosses have admitted recent changes to the street-cleaning rota had made the problem worse in some areas and a review was underway.

One reader sent in pictures of litter strewn across the roadside in the Whittaker Street and the Johnson Street area of Blackburn, while Chester Street, also in Blackburn, was another hot spot.

A car park in Ash Street, in the Bastwell area, has also become an eyesore due to litter.

Coun Browne said it was residents, not the council, to blame for the problem – but a resident of Redearth Road in Darwen sent in a picture taken on bin collection day, saying: “It’s not all down to the people in the town. We might well be a bunch of dirty sods according to Coun Browne, but when you walk out of your front door every day and step into a bin, what’s the point in bothering?”

Pilmuir Road resident Marion Mitchell wrote in to say she had counted “28 lots of dog mess” on her street as well as cans, bottles, crisp packets and plastic bags.

Coun Browne said: “I am up front and always speak my mind. And it’s working – I can’t believe the difference. I am over the moon.”

Alan Cottam, the council’s executive member for regeneration and environment, said: “We are at the early stages of significant changes to street cleansing schedules.

"The new routes are working, although there will be some minor adjustments as we allocate more time to problem areas and places where there are, for instance, a lot of parked cars.

“Nowhere is being missed but we may look at adjusting the frequency of our visits to certain areas.”