A £250,000 fund to fight climate change has been axed – to help clear out Lancashire’s drains.

Next Tuesday, the decision to scrap the annual cash pot, which was given out to local projects to reduce their carbon emissions, will be agreed by Lancashire County Council.

New Tory council leader Geoff Driver said existing commitments would be met but, after, the funds would be used to clear out gullies in flood-risk areas more often.

But Brian Jackson, of Friends of the Earth, accused the leadership of “throwing out the baby with the bathwater”.

He said: “I regret that we are losing these grants. They were used for a wide variety of things.

People would set up recycling centres, or plant trees.

“All these are worthy things.

"It is a time of limited resources, but it is important not to lose sight of climate change.”

The Tories put forward the move as part of their budget amendments for the current year. The changes will be rubber-stamped at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday as the new leadership looks to reverse some of the prev-ious Labour administration’s policies.

Shares of the climate change fund have been handed out to thousands of groups through the county’s Lancashire Local groups.

Recipients have included Mellor Brook and District Community Centre, which was given £10,000 in January towards the installation of energy-efficient heating and insulation, and Clitheroe United Reformed Church was awarded £7,273 to insulate roof space within the church.

The grants also helped pay for heat-sensitive cameras to help residents in parts of Hyndburn reduce their thermal emissions.

Coun Driver said: “There are plen-ty of other grants available, and we will direct people towards those.”