PADIHAM councillors are concerned that from mid-July the town will have no local contract with Burnley Town Hall.

Burnley and Pendle Housing Office will also close on July 16 as it are not deemed to be customer friendly and customers preferred to contact them by telephone.

The Environment Agency office which is housed upstairs in the Town Hall can be contacted by telephone and the Town Clerk's office is open from 10.30am-1pm, Monday to Friday.

Councillors were also perturbed that there was no-one available to help people with queries about the new voting procedures. They were told that a population of 70,000 only needs one officer, therefore that officer was sited in Burnley.

PADIHAM Council discussed the ongoing problem of litter in the town.

They have had a quote from the cleansing department of Burnley Borough Council of £180 per year for each trade bin supplied to firms.

Coun Andy Tatchell said £3 per week was a small price to pay for a cleaner environment and Coun Howard Hudson suggested any future fast food outlets should agree to provide litter bins.

Coun Maureen Whittaker added that although the public have genuine concerns about litter, it is the public who cause it.

THE monthly police report to Padiham Town Council was given by PC Derek Mitchell. He was happy to report there was a 28 per cent reduction in crime but an increase of one in house burglaries.

There were 17 more incidents of juvenile nuisance, probably due to lighter nights, better weather and the half-term holiday. Operations are planned to address this problem.

SIMON Goff, parks manager, told Hapton Parish Council that as the bowling green was no longer used it will only be maintained as a grassed area.

This was bad news for the councillors who have tried hard to keep the bowling green for Hapton even to the extent of manning it in the afternoons and at night themselves. However, they appreciated the fact that Burnley Council did not want to spend money on a facility that wasn't being used. So after many years Hapton has lost it's Bowling Green.

FIFTEEN 'gro-bags' are to be placed on Hapton's bus shelters this week. They were a tremendous success last year and much admired by bus travellers too.

PADIHAM Pub Watch scheme has 20 members who are dedicated to the elimination of drink-related crime.

Recently, four of its members were issued with two-way radios, which enables them to warn each other of potential troublemakers and are also directly connected to police.

Plans are in hand to equip all members with the radios shortly.