COUNCILLORS today demanded to know why they had been left in the dark about an anthrax scare at an East Lancashire town hall -- and why the building was not evacuated.

Details of the scare at Accrington Town Hall more than a month ago were only revealed when a memo was sent out to all Hyndburn Council staff and councillors last week.

The memo was issued after staff raised concerns about the way the scare was dealt with compared to a similar incident last month at the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is based just yards away, and which resulted in an evacuation and part of the town centre being sealed off.

The scare at the town hall, which is home to the borough council's housing benefits office, was on a Friday in October. An automatic letter opener spread a white powder across the post sorting room but the building was not evacuated. Council boss Mike Chambers was unable to confirm the exact date.

Six members of staff were quarantined inside the room while police were called. But the benefits office did not stop operating after police deemed evacuation was not necessary.

Coun Ian Ormerod, leader of the Labour group on the council, said: "I am very concerned that a public building was allowed to remain open during a possible anthrax scare.

"It was proven not to be anthrax but we did not know that at the time.

"That building is used by hundreds of people every day."

Coun Tim O'Kane, a Clayton-le-Moors councillor, said today: "I want to know why we weren't told. This is a very important incident and we should have been notified.

"I think the fact that the first we hear of this is when a memo goes round is appalling. We don't even know when it happened. Nothing has been said to us."

Council leader Peter Britcliffe, the only councillor to be informed of the scare, was not available for comment today.

Today, chief inspector Neil Smith of Eastern Division said: "There have been several hoax cases and each case is assessed before deciding what action to take."

The memo said that arrangements had been put in place following the first Anthrax cases in America - which followed the September 11 bombings - which meant staff opening post wore gloves and aprons.

Council manager Mike Chambers said: "The Royal Bank of Scotland case was treated much more seriously because, as I understand it, intelligence suggested it was linked to incidents elsewhere in the country.

"The council leader was informed of what was happening on the day of the incident."

John Davey, secretary of the council's Unison branch, said: "The staff involved insisted that they worked on after the scare, and as far as I was aware, there have been no further problems."