CAMPAIGNERS fear the turbines will ruin parts of the countryside. The council is looking at installing them on its own unused land and school fields.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "They blight the landscape and will damage tourism because they dominate the area.

"The county council would be much better working to converse energy in its buildings.

"If it did that properly, it would have just as big an impact on global warming as a wind turbine. They belong out at sea."

Two off-shore wind farms, which will power 180,000 homes, were this week given the go- ahead.

The sites, in the Irish Sea off Cumbria and in the Thames Estuary, were approved by the government. Energy Minister Brian Wilson said such sites were the way forward and added: "Britain is the windiest country in Europe and these locations provide the shallow waters needed for offshore wind technology."

And Jill Hatcher, of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, said: "Safeguards need to be put in place to protect our countryside to makes sure valued landscapes are not devalued."

Peter Mallon, CPRE Lancashire spokesman, added: "Many local communities are unhappy with proposals to build or extend wind farms in places where local people consider them an eyesore."

Paul Barker spoke from experience after a turbine was built near his home in Haworth, Yorkshire. He said: "This turbine is visible from any location and there is a concern it will ultimately have a knock-on effect on tourism. I am all for them as long as they are carefully placed."