PARENTS in Pendle are being invited to a 'bottle amnesty' in a bid to get young children off the bottle after their first birthday to avoid damaging their health and well-being.

Health chiefs at Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale's Primary Care Trust say prolonged use of a milk feeding bottle for youngsters over one year old has been linked to increased tooth decay and delayed speech development.

They say it also promotes poor nutrition, since children are substituting meals for a bottle of milk when they should be eating solid food as part of their diet.

Now, health visitors in Pendle are holding a special 'bottle amnesty' at Pendle Rise Shopping Centre in Nelson later this week.

Health visitor Lisa Aspinall said: "We are encouraging parents with children over one year old to bring their children's bottles in exchange for a trainer cup.

"The overall aim of the campaign is to discourage bottle use from one year onwards, in order to reduce tooth decay and promote healthy diets and speech development in pre-school children.

"It's all part of the overall aim of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust to improve the health prospects of local children."

The event is being held between 10am and 1pm on Wednesday and health experts will be on hand to give advice to parents.