EAST Lancashire farmers could benefit from a countryside scheme to protect and improve wildlife in the area.

Hard-hit farmers could profit from the Biological Heritage Sites (BHS) Project which is designed to enhance important wildlife spots.

The project is a partnership between United Utilities, Lancashire County Council, the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and English Nature.

The scheme has already recognised more than 1,100 sites across Lancashire, which have valuable semi-natural habitats such as ancient woodland and grassland and provide a home for rare and threatened plants and animals.

The initiative will involve speaking to landowners or tenants of the sites and offering them help and advice on the best ways to manage the land for the benefit of the wildlife. This includes telling them about grants available to ensure wildlife thrives on the sites.

Ian Grindy, United Utilities estate team leader in Bowland, Ribble Valley, said: "We have been working with the partnership, providing detailed maps of our land in Lancashire.

"The project will then be marrying up the sites it has identified with the farmer of that land and drawing up a programme of visits."

Mr Grindy added: "Should the use of farmers' land change as a result of the project we will still work with the farmers to ensure that the land is managed in a way that continues to protect areas water supplies."

Owners of a sites are not legally prevented from changing the land management.

Alison Cox, Biological Heritage Sites Project Officer, said: "These sites are areas of land rich in wildlife. They represent the core biodiversity resource in Lancashire.

"Agri-environment schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship, can offer farmers a financial incentive to manage their land in ways which benefit wildlife.

"In the current climate, I believe more farmers will be considering such schemes."