Hyndburn councillors are to look at twinning with more overseas towns after confirming its plan to pair the borough and Accrington with Khust in Ukraine.

They approved the arrangement with the resort in the Carpathian Mountains in the west of the war-torn country on Thursday night.

The borough's Full Council meeting has now asked its leader Cllr Munsif Dad to write to the leader of Khust Council to establish a formal dialogue with a view to developing an ongoing relationship between the two authorities.

In August a delegation from Khust visited Accrington Town Hall to discuss the proposal.

Cllr Dad said if the arrangement goes well there could be further such schemes.

He suggested twinning with the city of Mirpur in Pakistan - the region from where he came to Accrington from 50 years ago.

Cllr Dad said there had been links between the area and Hyndburn for 60 to 70 years, since people from the Indian subcontinent began coming to the UK to work.

Green Party Cllr Shabir Fazal suggested Bethlehem, Palestine, the supposed birthplace of Jesus.

He said: "Ukraine is in the middle of a war.

"I suggest we twin with Bethlehem on the West Bank. It is important to the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions."

Council deputy leader Cllr Noordad Aziz said the move was a 'great way to publicise Hyndburn'.

Deputy Mayor Cllr Josh Allen said: "This is a massive thing for Hyndburn. It's brilliant for Hyndburn to do this."

Former Conservative leader of the council Cllr Marlene Haworth, who was key to initiating the proposal, said she was delighted to see the arrangement officially confirmed and to be asked to serve on the working group tasked with bringing it to fruition.

The authority's culture boss Cllr Kimberley Whitehead, who proposed the move and whose brother Harley lives and works in Ukraine, outlined the advantages of twinning with Khust.

They included economic development opportunities, job creation, tourism and hospitality, cultural exchange, education and skills, community cohesion, solidarity and friendship and social and civic engagement.

Immanuel ward's Cllr Judith Addison and borough Mayor Cllr Mike Booth reminded the meeting that Oswaldtwistle was already twinned with Falkenberg in Sweden and had been for decades.