A BURNLEY resident is living in fear of her house going up in smoke after firebugs targeted neighbouring derelict properties.

Her fears were highlighted by fire chiefs who this week recording a massive hike in the number of derelict properties being targeted by arsonists.

According to station officer Kevin Murray there has been an increase in deliberate property fires from 49 in the 12 months before August 2002 to 124 up to August 2003 - an increase of 150 per cent.

He blames the rises on changes in government legislation which meant earlier this year Lancashire County Council had to pass on their rubbish collection service to an external body - Sita.

Glenda Keats, 42, who has a 12-year-old daughter, and lives in Cameron Street, in the Daneshouse area of Burnley, said: "It's frightening to think one night there could be a fire at one of the derelict houses and it could spread to my house while I am in bed.

"Rubbish has been set on fire at unoccupied houses near to me, so it makes you think it's only a matter of time.

"Every other night youngsters are starting fires around here because people are using back yards as dumping grounds. The only way to solve the issue is to ensure the back yards are empty and cleared regularly by the council and to educate children about the risks."

Station officer Murray said: "The problem is spiralling out of control in Burnley. There is a real problem with people dumping rubbish.

"If somebody wants to dump a couch in a tip they can't. They have to wait for the council to take it away which means they leave it in their back yard for weeks until it is picked up which is when the problems start.

"It's not just Burnley, it's happening in Rossendale, Pendle and Blackburn, but we seem to have a real problem that is not going to go away.

"We had a meeting with the police on Monday about this issue and it is being passed to Lancashire County Council. The police are actively looking to prosecute anybody caught flytipping.

"We had a superb system in place last year. In the Burnley Wood area the Fire Reduction Team were working with community wardens and community beat managers who highlighted hot spot areas for flytipping.

"Every morning that information was faxed to the council and usually within 24 hours it was cleared. Since the policy changed in April there is a backlog of six weeks.

"The concept of the idea to reduce the amount of landfill is brilliant in theory, but in reality it's caused a bigger environmental problem and is of detriment to the community."

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "Flytipping is illegal and can result in a maximum fine of £20,000 or imprisonment for those found guilty.

"Traders have always been required to pay for the disposal of their waste. It has never been the responsibility of the council taxpayer to finance the collection of trade waste.

"The decision to ban all trade waste from the sites was taken earlier this year in order to remove this extra cost to the taxpayer and to improve the efficiency of the sites for the householder. This does not mean that flytipping is now an option."