ALMOST 100 East Lancashire charities face investigation and legal action as part of a clampdown, it has been revealed.

The bodies are named and shamed on a database of charity 'defaulters' kept by governing body the Charity Commission.

Each charity with an income over £10,000 is legally required to send annual returns and accounts to the commission within 10 months of the end of each financial year.

Currently, 97 local causes are listed as charity 'defaulters' and they face an inquiry, prosecution or could even be forced to close.

Today, commission bosses warned them to take their responsibility seriously.

A spokesman said: "It's actually a statutory requirement and is written in charity law that charities with an income over £10,000 per annum need to supply accounts. It isn't just a bother, it's a duty -- a requirement that trustees take on when they agree to running charities.

"If they don't submit accounts to us we have no way of knowing how the charity is being run and no way of knowing how finances are being spent. It's so important to the public who put money in."

Currently, only 67 per cent of charities follow the law.

Among the offenders in East Lancashire is the Only Foals and Horses animal sanctuary, Oswaldtwistle.

Head of the charity Olive Lomas said they were trying desperately to catch up but a shortage of volunteers made it hard to meet the deadline.

She said: "They're right and we are in the wrong. It's just that we have changed to a new system and to a new accountant and it's just taking time. The pressure has been on us raising the money as the first priority.

"We are always asking for extra volunteers and extra help but the people we get responding want to work with the horses."

And Joyce Ferguson, secretary of the Blackburn and District Blind Society, said: "The deadline is neither here nor there. We do meet the deadlines, it's just that the commission have so many coming in that some of us are defaulters just because they haven't opened the letter yet.

"It doesn't bother us too much."

Haworth Art Gallery and Park in Accrington is also listed. Coun John Griffiths of Hyndburn Council said the authority was querying why the gallery had to submit its accounts for inspection.