PART of Ribble Valley could slip into a new-look Blackburn with Hyndburn unitary authority - despite massive opposition from local residents who thought they had seen off the plan.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is looking at 'tidying up' boundaries ahead of the referendum for a regional assembly in October.

And the fear in the Ribble Valley is that Blackburn with Darwen could snatch some parishes from the borough.

In May, the Boundary Committee unveiled two options which, if people vote for a regional assembly, would replace the current two-tier system where power is shared between Lancashire County Council and district authorities.

The two options were a Lancashire-wide unitary or an East Lancashire split between Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley councils, and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Councils.

Ribble Valley residents mounted a "Back Off Blackburn" campaign and successfully fought the plans to merge their borough with Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn councils.

Instead, residents said they preferred to be lumped in with Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. They were then backed by The Boundary Committee, despite Blackburn pushing to take in 10 parishes from Ribble Valley.

Now, however, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has confirmed it is looking at overriding those residents' wishes and tweaking the proposals to 'tidy up' boundaries between boroughs. Ribble Valley chiefs have been told that nine parishes could now slip into Blackburn with Darwen.

They include Mellor, Salesbury, Clayton-le-Dale, Wilpshire, Balderstone, Osbaldeston, Ramsgreave, Billington and Langho and Dinkley. Mellor residents behind the original 'Back Off Blackburn' campaign have collected hundreds of signatures in a new petition, which will go to John Prescott early next week.

Emma Dickinson, from the Back Off Blackburn Campaign, said: "We don't want to be part of Blackburn.

"We have lots of concerns that we will suffer if we're with Blackburn, and fall behind in terms of priorities.

"We want to be left alone but if all else fails, we'd prefer to be placed with places like Burnley because at least Ribble Valley would still have a voice."

More than 250 people attended a public meeting at Mellor Village Hall, when council leader John Hill told them: "We have a week until the next announcement from John Prescott.

"We must all make it clear that we don't want to lose part of the Ribble Valley to Blackburn with Darwen."

Opposition leader Frank Dyson added: "I believe local government works best as close to the people as possible. This wouldn't work at all."

Residents who spoke at the meeting told of their fears that being pushed into Blackburn would cost them places at Ribble Valley's excelling high schools, with their children instead having to go to ones within Blackburn with Darwen.

Ironically, several employees of Blackburn with Darwen Council who live in the Ribble Valley were at the meeting and spoke out against merging the authority which pays their wages.

Blackburn with Darwen chief executive Phil Watson said: "I am not surprised by that but I am disappointed. We stated our case before the final proposals were unveiled by the Boundary Committee.

"We have not made a fresh submission to the Government, but people should remember they used to be part of the old Blackburn rural authority many years ago.

"The Government knows our opinion and the Government is looking at tidying up boundaries."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans has agreed to pass on all letters sent to him to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.