BUILDERS have moved in to start preliminary work on a site which will see one of Lancashire's largest comprehensives replaced by a state-of-the-art new school.

Contractors are operating by floodlight to secure a huge area around the existing St Wilfrid's CE High School in Blackburn for the Christmas holidays, before operations start in earnest in the New Year, marked by an official sod-cutting ceremony.

A Blackburn with Darwen Council spokesman said that in addition to securing the site workmen were erecting Portakabins and some pile-driving has begun.

St Wilfrid's will be re-born at a cost of £12.5million on the busy site off King Street, less than a mile from the town centre.

The school, which already caters for nearly 1,500 pupils aged 11 to 18 from all over East Lancashire, recently won technology college status.

However, several attempts to relocate failed and work has now started around the old Byrom Street school buildings, which will continue in use.

The school is one of the largest in Lancashire with 85 feeder primary schools.

The first phase of the development is due to be completed by the end of next year, and the new school is expected to be fully open for the new academic year in 2004.

Tariq Mohammed, the founder of Time Computers, is a former pupil of the school.