ROSSENDALE shoe firm Winfields has hailed the success of sponsorship deals to help Lancashire Police fight crime.

The discount store in Haslingden sponsors some of the constabulary's motorway patrol cars, which now bear the company logo .

The deal comes just over three years after Winfield's was forced to abandon a spectacular fireworks display after officers sent warning of an estimated bill of £3,000 for policing the event.

But owner Dale Winfield said the incident played no part in his decision to strike up a deal with the police last year.

He said: "We did it because you see some very bad accidents on the roads and the police do an excellent job.

"The experiences we have had with them have been very good."

Companies offering sponsorship money are vetted to make sure they are not involved in criminal activities and police said sponsorship would not be accepted from firms involved in businesses which would not fit in with the public profile -- such as betting and the licensing trade.

Police chiefs are aiming to boost the coffers of the cops by £2million a year to contribute to the yearly cost of policing Lancashire -- currently about £198 million.

Inspector Peter Stas of the Motorway Policing Unit said: "Winfields are one of a number of companies that sponsor us and that programme has been going on for about four years. They sponsor us and we invest in equipment we couldn't otherwise afford, such as in car video and number plate reading cameras."