REGISTER office fees for some ceremonies are set to rise by 50 per cent in five out of six East Lancashire boroughs.

And most other slots at venues in Accrington and Burnley could increase by a third or a quarter as part of a Lancashire County Council review.

County Hall bosses said the rise was needed to ensure the full costs are recovered for civil weddings.

The rate for a Friday daytime ceremony will increase from £100 to £150 and Friday evenings and Saturday daytime rates increase from £150 to £200.

For a Saturday evening, Sunday or bank holiday booking, a hike from £200 to £250 is proposed.

Steve Gross, executive director of adult services, said in a report: “There have been no increases to ceremony fees since April 2012.

“A full review of the fees charged for delivering ceremonies has been carried out with the key aim of the review being to ensure that the full costs of providing the service are recovered.”

The review would also seek to provide timings at ceremony rooms that were ‘affordable’ at certain other times of the week,” he added.

Basic registrations costing £45 are still available on Monday mornings but if the same is required Monday afternoons or Tuesdays to Thursdays, the price increases to £100.

Coun Janice Hanson, the responsible cabinet member, will rule on the proposed increases on Monday.

The same £45 basic booking can be made in Blackburn with Darwen, with a Monday to Thursday ceremony priced at £96.

Under the county plans, a Blackburn ceremony on Friday would be cheaper at £121, as it would for Saturday mornings at £146.

But the Saturday afternoon and Sunday and bank holiday fees are significantly more at £345 and £425 respectively.

The certification services will remain mostly the same, except an increase of £10 to £20 for express processing.