A GANG of Portuguese workmen have been drafted in to "cobble" in a Lancashire town centre -- because contractors can't find anyone in this country with the right skills for the job.

Contractors said the six workmen were called in when the initial workforce, believed to be from the north west, was replaced for not meeting proper standards.

The workers have come to Lancashire to lay the cobble-like stones, called setts, as part of the town centre regeneration, in Church Street, Blackburn.

The workmen -- sett paviours -- come from families who have done the job for generations in their home country.

They have been contracted to work on the site by George Cox and Son, from Bolton, which won the £2.5million pound contract from Blackburn with Darwen Council to re-vamp Church Street.

The Portuguese pavers work for a Scottish-based firm called Granite Union, which specialises in intricate designs.

As well as the work in Blackburn they do jobs all over the country and spend most of their time here.

Managing director of George Cox, which has worked on the Boulevard, and King William Street, in Blackburn, said the men were drafted in after the initial contractors' work was not up to standard.

He said: "We interviewed the Portuguese crew and the local company at the start of the job and we took the decision based on a number of factors including availability.

"Basically the Portuguese were not available at that time.

"Halfway through the contract we reviewed the situation and were not happy with the standards so we changed to the Portuguese.

"The first company came with good references and the quality was fine most of the time, but there was some dissatisfaction."

Mr Cox could not disclose how much the Portuguese were being paid but said there had been no extra costs incurred to the council.

No extra time delay had been added to the work and was expected to be finished by Christmas, he added.

Granite Union does a lot of work for Westminster Council. Mr Cox said the company's CV boasts work done at Whitehall and Downing Street, and said he was more than impressed with the work.

While his teams concentrate on setting the larger stones, which will dominate Church Street, the Portuguese, who have with them a Scottish translator, are laying smaller stones -- imported from northern Italy -- as part of a segmental arch design.

He said: "There are 222 cobbles per every square metre, each of which has to be laid by hand and tapped in.

"What we needed was someone who can produce a high quality standard of work in a relatively short space of time. Not many people in this country can do that."

Graham Burgess, executive director for regeneration and technical services at Blackburn with Darwen Council added: "The whole basis of the Church Street project has been one of quality.

"While it is a matter for regret that there aren't these suitable skills available in this country, we are pleased that the contractor has been able to source these skills from elsewhere within the European Community."

Coun Colin Rigby, leader of the conservatives at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said he hoped the town centre regeneration would benefit the town.

He said: "We were not impressed by the whole idea of the scheme to begin with.

"I hope it does what it should for the town and bring some enthusiasm for the town centre.

"These workmen are skilled and I'm sure the end result will be pleasing."