AN EMERGENCY plan is being drawn up to deal with a major incident such as an explosion at a Church chemical plant - and nearby residents can influence it.

New regulations under the Control of Major Accident Hazards mean that preparations have to be made for accidents at William Blythe's chemical works.

The process is being led by Lancashire County Council's emergency planning department, but also includes the company, emergency services, Hyndburn Council, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.

At the inaugural meeting of the William Blythe (Church Works) Liaison Group last night, residents in a designated 'public information zone' were invited to have their say.

Bernard Kershaw, the county emergency planning officer, said: "When we prepare the plan we are required to consult with people who live in the immediate vicinity of the site. We started that with a public open day in May and now we have set up the liaison group, which will meet every six months.

"The input of local residents is essential and in the highly unlikely event of a major incident people will be much better prepared."

A draft emergency plan will be discussed at future meetings of the group.

During the meeting residents raised concerns about how the emergency services would clear the amount of traffic on Henry Road in an emergency.

They were assured that as part of the plan the police would have a traffic management plan in place.

Mr Kershaw said: "As we complete the planning process everyone within the public information zone will receive a document explaining the warning system and that sort of information."

William Blythe's Church works is one of six in the county for which emergency plans are being drawn up. These have been designated by the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency because of the amount or type of substances they deal with.

Councillor Ann Scaiffe said: "This is not about scaremongering it is about ensuring that we are prepared for any incident that might occur."