EAST Lancashire is among Britain's biggest lottery losers when it comes to getting money for good causes, it was revealed today.

While the area may have been home to the biggest ever jackpot winner back in November 1994, local organisations have struggled to get their hands on lotto cash, a report says.

Areas in London have hogged the lion's share of cash, with some authorities getting more than £3,000 more per head of the population than the best performing area in East Lancashire, Burnley.

Today, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was asking the Lottery, which it controls, to investigate the findings, published by a firm which specialises in helping lottery applicants through the maze of forms needed to ask for lotto cash. And a council leader has also began an internal inquiry to find out how his authority, Blackburn with Darwen, can work better with voluntary groups to get more money in.

According to the new report, the average amount given out by the lottery's good cause bodies is £191.33 per head of the population. But in several East Lancashire boroughs, less than half that has arrived.

The biggest loser is Hyndburn, which is ranked 376 out of a list of 434 local authority areas. It has received £4,477,050 since the Lottery began, the equivalent to £54.94 per person.

Only slightly better is the Ribble Valley, ranked 375, which has received £3,021,223 since the Lottery began, the equivalent of £55.99 per person.

Rossendale, ranked 348, has received £4,111,712, or £62.62 per person.

Blackburn, listed at 243, has received £12,808,246, which breaks down to £93.17 per person.

Burnley fared best in East Lancashire, but it was still only at number 209, claiming £107.38 per person, or £9,615.102million since the Lottery launch.

But its handouts aren't a patch on the borough at the top of the list. Greenwich in London has received £690million, or £3,216 per head of the population in the area where the Millennium Dome was built.

And the second-placed City of Westminster has received £530,265,406, or £2,925.13 per head of the population.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Bill Taylor said: "I shall be talking to the council's officers once I have studied the figures in depth.

"I want to see if there is anything we can change to make sure that not only the council, but the community associations we have good working relationship with, can get more money in the future."

A spokesman for the Department of Culture and Media said: "We intend to make sure that funding is distributed equally across the country.

"We have asked for this research to be looked into."

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "I think these figures are a disgrace.

"This is essentially a tax on my constituents who put large amounts of money and yet get hardly anything back in grants.

What I want to find out is how much my constituents put into playing the lottery and how much they get back.

"I shall be tabling questions on the issue next week."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "If you play the lottery it could be you than win.

"But quite clearly when it comes to receiving lottery grants it's most unlikely to be you if you apply from East Lancashire. "