MRI scans and cataract surgery are to carried out in Burnley from mobile units on the car park outside a £28million health centre.

East Lancashire Primary Care Trust bosses said the expansion would mean people would not have to travel as far for treatment.

The St Peter's Health and Leisure Centre, Church Street, only opened 16 months ago at a cost of £28million.

But health bosses said they could not incorporate the MRI and cataract facilities in the original plans.

And now that the use of mobile units has become more widespread, PCT bosses said they wanted to take advantage.

From Monday, February 4, builders will be on site for six weeks, restricting the amount of car parking available.

They will create foundation pads for the mobile units and provide water and electricity supplies.

Car parking for the disabled and for mothers and babies will be available as normal during the work, and users will be able to use the overspill Edward Street car park behind the centre.

The new mobile units offering the services will be brought in periodically.

Once operational people will be able to have cataract surgery in Burnley instead of travelling to the present unit at Rossendale Hospital and have MRSA scans at the centre instead of being referred to hospital.

Cath Galaska, the PCT's director of service provision, said: "Obviously, the long-term benefits for the people of Burnley are the main consideration.

"It is unfortunate that some of the car parking facilities will be lost during the essential work needed to provide a strong foundation and services for the different mobile units that will be supplementing our normal health work.

"But the end product will be greater availability of locally-based medical diagnostic services, on hand for local people to use.

"The mobile solution is a very good flexible option for certain services, since it can be provided when it is needed and close to where people live and work."

A spokesperson for the PCT, said new mobile units were also planned for Rossendale and Colne as part of plans for the multi-million pound hubs for the area.

He said: "The cataract unit was introduced across the whole of Lancashire and Cumbria because there was insufficient capacity in hospitals so a flexible solution was introduced which would meet demand throughout the different centres.

"The use of the other units will follow the same principle of bringing services into the local communities as needed.

"There will be less parking spaces when the units are operating but we do not know how many and this will only be for short time periods."