TEN Belarussian children living with the effects of the world's worst ever nuclear accident are to sample Hyndburn hospitality for a month of respite care.

The eight to 11-year-old boys and girls are from Mogilev, 200 miles from the epicentre of the 1985 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, which hurled massive clouds of radioactive dust into the air and decimated Belarus and parts of the Ukraine.

The youngsters' families were originally from the Chernobyl area, said to be uninhabitable for thousands of years, and were evacuated to Mogilev after the disaster.

The Hyndburn branch of Lancashire-based charity Friends of Chernobyl's Children have found nine families to take part in the annual event, but are looking for one more family to volunteer before the children arrive on September 9.

However, if a family is not found, one of the host families has agreed to take two of the children.

Friends co-ordinator Joan West said: "The children are all from poor families and were selected by the Slovak Gospel Association, who have been working with us since we started in 1997.

"Over these few years, the trips have really helped the children in their general development and it does them a world of good to have a month away from the low level radiation which affects so much of that part of the world."

Any family wishing to be a host can call Joan West on 01254 886439.