RESIDENTS who fear for the safety of children playing in houses earmarked for demolition claim the neighbourhood is unsafe.

And the claims have been backed up by Burnley Council's Liberal Democrat group leader Gordon Birtwistle, who is to raise the matter with the authority's bosses.

Mother-of-four May Harrison, of Swallow Park, on the Barclay Hills estate, which are the responsibility of the council, were expected to be pulled down on May 31 and June 1 but that two weeks later the problems are getting worse.

Mrs Harrison (pictured) said: "I'm living on a demolition site at the moment but at first they fenced it all off. It was then pulled down by kids and I have rung the council three times about it and no one's been round.

"The last tenant moved out in April. I know because it was my dad.

"Not one weekend goes by without there being a fire in one of them and it's dangerous for the children who keep playing in them. I've pulled children out as young as two years old and there were at least 16 in there one night. There are older children in there drinking as well. The empty houses had burglar alarms put in them but no-one's responding to them. A spokesman for Burnley Council said: "The demolition programme on the Barclay Hills estate is continuing.

"A letter from the local housing manager Karen Ainsworth was sent to all residents, explaining that the contractor would move back on site on May 30 and the work would continue over the next six weeks.

"This timetable has been adhered to. Stripping out work, which involves taking everything out of each home, must be carried out before any demolition can take place and this is what the contractor has been concentrating on since May 30. It is not a visible part of the work programme but it is vital.

"The more obvious work has already commenced on Kingfisher Bank and the concrete pulverising machine will be arriving today Monday to start taking down the houses in Goldfinch Green.

"Fencing has been erected around both sites and when contractors are not there, security patrols take over the watching brief. "

Coun Birtwistle said: "Everything has stopped on the estate whatever they say and residents should not have to live in these conditions. I have been inundated with calls from people living there who say they cannot get any help.

"Houses have been demolished and rubbish just left, houses earmarked for demolition have been wrecked and are dangerous and people are having to live right next to them. "