A FRESH hunt for funding to bring back Blackburn's pioneering 'bouncers on the buses' scheme has been launched by the borough council.

Blackburn with Darwen Council ran two late night services on Friday and Saturday nights in November and December last year to ferry revellers home safely home.

Manned by bouncers, the scheme's aim was to ensure people did not walk home due to a shortage of taxis in Blackburn town centre.

But while the scheme was deemed a success, it did not prove financially viable for Blackburn Transport to continue, so when the council's crime and disorder grant ran out, the services were discontinued.

Now Coun Maureen Bateson, executive member for consumer rights, has pledged to hunt out all sources for funding to repeat it this year.

She has been prompted into action by the launch of the Safer Clubbing Initiative, which encouraged councils to do all they can to make sure people have safe forms of transport for getting home.

Coun Bateson said: "Last year's late night bus scheme was introduced as a pilot scheme in December.

"The scheme was grant-funded by the council using crime and disorder funding which is supposed to help kick-start projects.

"Although there was significant use of the late night buses, the scheme was not self-financing and unfortunately Blackburn Transport was unable to operate the service on a commercial basis.

"We are now looking for funding to repeat it but I don not know at this stage if it will be successful.

"The council recognises the need to improve late night public transport within Blackburn town centre on weekend evenings, we have been working with representatives of the Private Hire and Hackney carriage trades to establish options on how this could be achieved.

"The council would welcome discussions with any operator of public transport on proposals to improve late night public transport."

A spokesman for Blackburn Transport said: "It was not financially viable but we will keep it under review."