VOLUNTARY youth projects and organisations working in East Lancashire are to be hit by another police check price increase, according to information from the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.

The Criminal Records Bureau has said that from April 1 charges for police checks in England and Wales would go up by £4.

The rise, the second in nine months, will see the cost of a standard check reach £28.

Chairman of the Blackburn-based Voluntary Youth Network Bob Beardsworth said: "The rise is disappointing news for the many voluntary bodies doing excellent work with young people.

"It will further stretch the financial resources of voluntary and community groups that are rightly committed to safeguarding the young people with whom they work and support."

Capita, the private company that runs the bureau, and which has offices in Darwen, has blamed cuts in government subsidies for the increase.