BURNLEY has 2,000 more private houses than it needs -- and it will take a massive clearance programme to tackle the town's biggest housing headache, councillors have been told.

One in four homes are officially listed as unfit and council chiefs say it will take more than £250million to address the problems of the private sector.

The situation is reflected in the growing number of empty and boarded up properties and the fact that one in 20 of all houses sold in the town last year changed hands for less than £10,000.

The problems and possible solutions are spelled out in Burnley council's new Housing Strategy document for the next three years.

It states that poor housing and environment directly lead to very poor health, low educational attainment, high crime rates and poverty.

"The regeneration effort needs to tackle all these issues comprehensively."

The report sets out what is being done and what is planned in terms of clearance and improvement.

More than £10million has been spent since 1991 on the Central Renewal Area around Leyland Road district, which has seen 600 homes extensively improved. The council says it will continue to spend to protect its investment in the area. More than £5million has been pumped into housing in Daneshouse and Stoneyholme since a renewal area was declared three years ago.

Some 175 houses have been demolished and 130 have benefited from group repair schemes and the council says it is determined to continue the work.

In addition to the present initiatives, the council and Burnley Regeneration Forum say any successful bid for massive £50million New Deal for Communities would be directed to the Daneshouse area -- with much of the cash going into housing.

Burnley Wood and Accrington Road have just won major help from the latest round of the Government's Single Regeneration Budget fund --with more than £8million expected to go into clearance.

There will also be renovation grants on offer in the area and it is envisaged around 450 properties will be dealt with over the next six years.

More than 200 empty council houses were earmarked for demolition before the remaining housing stock was acquired by Burnley and Padiham Housing earlier this year.

The report states the new company aims to spend £30million on improvements over the next five years alone, with a £200million investment over the coming 30 years.

The report says it costs £1million to clear only 50 properties in lengthy and cumbersome procedures.

"There is too much emphasis on individual property rights at the expense of wider community benefit. Abandonment and obsolescence are not allowable criteria for compulsory purchase.

"All of these issues need resolving if there is to be any meaningful progress on a large scale, and therefore the council intends to continue to put some effort into lobbying for the necessary changes" the report adds.