DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott is being urged to disregard a claim that people haven't had enough time to consider alterations to Leigh Sports Village plans.

Campaign for Planning Sanity frontman, Chris Maile, has alleged Wigan planners put forward alterations to LSV proposals over the festive period "to reduce the ability of the public to make representations on a highly controversial and politically sensitive development."

CPS claimed people only had four days to view and respond to altered plans put forward just before Christmas and said they intended to pass on their views to Mr Prescott.

But in anticipation of that an angry Leigh MP and Sports Village supporter Andy Burnham, pictured right, in a letter to Mr Prescott dismissed Mr Maile's claims as "absolute nonsense".

He told Mr Prescott: "The Council allowed more time than usual to respond because of the Christmas holiday period.

"It is precisely because of this effort to listen to local concerns that the LSV commands overwhelming local support. I fully support the democratic right of all people in Leigh to express their views but I feel that it is wrong in principle for any organisation to incite objections to a planning proposal on a false premise."

And Martin Kimber, Wigan's planning and development director, said: "It is not true to suggest the period of re-consultation has ended. Such statements are irresponsible.

"I would urge anyone who wishes to comment to do so by writing to me. There is still plenty of time. The council specifically allowed additional time for consultation and took the exceptional step of giving people up to 30 days to submit their views."