“It’s disgusting. What do we pay our council tax for if the police won’t come and help us?”

Julie, from Darwen, who was visiting a friend in the area, called the police and Twin Valley on Saturday evening. She said: “They moved out Friday night and left all the doors and windows open.

“There were kids toys and knives everywhere outside.

“I saw a child of about five or six running round outside with a kitchen knife from the house.

“The place was a mess and it was dangerous.

“Me and three residents complained to Twin Valley, who said they wouldn’t come out.

“I called the police and they told me to call the council, or pick up the knives myself.”

Well, quite. Why are you so outraged at that? Are you a product of the generation that expects ‘the authorities’ to do every single tiny thing for you?

Of course you are. What am I thinking..?

A police spokesman said: “We did have a call about this on Saturday and the housing association was called and advised to attend to deal as police deployment was not required.”

Frankly, you should have charged them with wasting police time for the phone call!

Ian Bell, head of Twin Valley Homes, said: “We had a call about a tenanted property on Waterloo Close being unsecured and we responded immediately to make it safe.

“Our joiner didn’t see any children or knives as reported but we wouldn’t encourage any of our staff to get themselves in a situation where they could be hurt.

“That would be an issue for the parents of the children or the police to deal with.”’

How could they ‘be hurt’ picking up a knife to dispose of it? Unless they are so stupid they pick it up by the pointy end…