A SURVEY is to be carried out of a borough's shops amid fears it is difficult for many residents to buy fresh food.

Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust, which looks after community healthcare across the borough, is planning to survey all food shops in a bid to discover the extent of the problem.

Bosses said they had received complaints from residents that their shopping streets were full of takeaways and corner shops selling biscuits and sweets.

Residents said fresh fruit and vegetables were being forced off the menu because they were not available.

In his annual report, director of public health Mike Leaf said the lack of fresh food added to recognised diet problems in deprived areas such as long-term bottle-feeding of children and lack of understanding about healthy eating.

He said: "Some areas can be classed as food deserts', where access to healthy food is very limited."

Sanam Asghar, public health nutritionist for the PCT, added: "Some areas have no food shops whatsoever because of the demise of traditional butchers and greengrocers.

"We are hoping to survey the whole area to find out what the shops are selling and work out exactly how big the problem is."

David Cottam, of Blackburn Chamber of Trade, said fresh food was available at chain-store corner shops, but at a higher price. He said: "A lot of the greengrocers have shut down because people are going to supermarkets instead. These shops often end up as takeaways because the planning process is relatively simple."