OUT-of-hours council services for people living in the Ribble Valley are to be channelled through a different control system.

A control monitoring centre in Accrington which combined services for for Hyndburn and Ribble Valley is due to close, after both councils agreed to organise their own services.

It is not known how many jobs may be affected.

The new system, which comes into effect tomorrow will run until September when a new monitoring centre will be opened in Clitheroe, covering the Ribble Valley.

The most common calls to the service are on housing issues, although there are some inquiries from the elderly, which will be dealt with by staff from Tunstall Lifeline through the same telephone line.

A spokesman for Ribble Valley Borough Council said: "The service as far as the public are concerned, will not change. Whatever the emergency, staff at the end of the line will be able to put the public through to the right people, just as normal."

The changes have not brought any staff changes, although the new monitoring centre which will be set up in September, is likely to see at least one extra member of staff taken on to monitor the CCTV cameras.

The new number to call is 01200 444448.