THE rivalry is so fierce it once broke out into a full-blown war, so in 1974 when several Yorkshire towns and villages were suddenly declared part of Lancashire, when the Government abolished the administrative county and county boroughs, there was a great deal of upset.

Forty years later, the likes of Barnoldswick, Earby, Gisburn, Slaidburn, Bolton-by-Bowland, Dunsop Bridge, Waddington and Sawley will fly the Yorkshire flag again – for one day at least.

Gisburn dairy and beef farmer Frank Wrathall Jnr was 10 when the boundaries changed and he said it was the older generation that were most upset.

His father, Frank Snr, was so against the idea of living in Lancashire all of a sudden when he was interviewed on BBC Look North at the time.

Frank Jnr said: “He was dead against it. He used to say ‘they can’t change me, I’m a Yorkshireman’ and ‘the only good thing to come out of Lancashire is the road to Yorkshire’.

“But everybody has forgotten now. I was only 10 when it happened. I can understand the rivalry and it still’s there in some respects, but not as much. I don’t think anybody will mind the Yorkshire flag being flown.”

Ribble Valley mayor Richard Sherras said the news of the flag flying hadn’t caused a fuss.

He said: “The older generation would say we’re Yorkshire people but I don’t really think it’s really an issue. I do occasionally make a joke about it though.”

Yorkshire Day is celebrated annually on August 1 and has been arranged by the Yorkshire Riding Society since its inception in 1975, initially as a protest movement against the boundary changes.

Society chairman Roger Sewell said the group had distributed the flags and agreed there was a ‘dislike, particularly among older people’ of the changes.

He said: “There’s a lot of fuss because people have been told they’re from one area and they’re not.

“I hope it’s a lighthearted day. A lot of people will throw flat caps or perhaps they’ll throw puddings in Lancashire, but there is a serious side – people hate being told which county they’re from.”

Chairman of Gisburn Festival Hall, Giles Bridge, said: “It’s quite a nice little thing to remind people of where the boundaries used to be. We have cross loyalties. Even when we were part of Yorkshire people still supported Lancashire football teams like Burnley and Blackburn.”

Sharon Smalley, 41, will fly the flag at Delicious Deli and Cafe in Gisburn.

She said: “I consider myself a bit of both, I was born in Lancashire but I live in Yorkshire. I don’t know if anybody will complain, I think it will be taken quite well.”

Despite the rivalry, it seems most local people are happy to celebrate their Yorkshire heritage for at least one day a year.