Blackburn with Darwen Council's voting and legal bosses have received the Royal document which fires the starting gun for the July 4 General Election in the borough.

The authority's chief executive and returning officer for Blackburn, Denise Park, and its deputy director of legal and governance, Asad Laher, received the official writ from King Charles III dissolving Parliament on Friday.

Voters living in Blackburn can vote for an MP for the Blackburn constituency which was won in 2019 by Labour's Kate Hollern.

Voters living in Darwen can vote for an MP for the Rossendale and Darwen constituency which was held five years ago by Conservative Sir Jake Berry.

Residents need to be registered to vote by 11.59pm on Tuesday, June 18, to take part.

Ms Park said on Friday: "Today we have received the official writ from King Charles declaring the dissolution of parliament.

"This marks the start of the pre-election period, and now is the time to get ready to vote.

"If you didn’t vote in the local elections in May but want to vote in the general election, it’s a good idea to check you’re on the electoral register for your current address.

"For people who usually vote by post and proxy, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with changes now.

"And, following the introduction of voter ID for the first time last May, everyone who votes at a polling station will need to show an accepted form of photographic ID.

"It’s a good idea to check now if you have one of these accepted forms, and take action if you don’t."

To register to vote, visit: gov.uk/register-to-vote