CAMPAIGNERS today demanded a permanent memorial be built in East Lancashire for speed ace Donald Campbell after the site where his famous Bluebird was built was cleared to make way for a golf driving range.

Friends of the Earth was leading the calls for a tribute to Campbell at the former engineering works in Samlesbury, Blackburn. They were backed by Blackburn Civic Society which also wants to keep the speed king's memory alive in East Lancashire.

Work has now started to build a golf driving range on the former Samlesbury Engineering site where the 26ft-long Bluebird K7 boat took four months to be built.

The firm was also responsible for building the Bluebird car in which Campbell made his name.

Professional golfer Jeff Matthews has been approached by Friends of the Earth to see if he will install a memorial.

Campbell's funeral is expected to take place next month after his body was finally identified on August 10 this year -- almost 35 years after the day of the fatal attempt to become the first person to break 300mph on water.

Brian Jackson, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth and co-ordinator of the group's Pendle branch, said the history of the site could be forgotten forever unless a memorial is built.

He said: "In view of Donald Campbell's brave efforts and the knowledge he put into his achievements I thought it would be worthy of making a memorial at the site as a tribute.

"It was the team in Blackburn that did all the work for it and that was down to good old Lancastrian know-how and it should not go unnoticed.

"It looks like Samlesbury was the hot-spot of front line engineering and that has got to be a good thing to put the place on the map. People will be able to go to the driving range and learn a lot about what went on there. It will be a 21st century amenity but will have kept in touch with the past. It would be a real pity to let history whitewash over it.

"When I spoke to Mr Matthews about it I told him the site had a proud history and that it should be marked irrespective of whether or not the boat should have been brought up and he seemed to like the idea.

"We definitely should not let things like this pass us by. When you look at our history it reminds us about what we have achieved and what we could achieve in the future."

Doug Chadwick, chairman of Blackburn Civic Society, said: "Such a tribute would be of great significance to mark Mr Campbell's and the engineering company's achievements.

"It would serve as a nice reminder that Lancashire had a part to play in the history of the past world speed record holder. I think it would be wonderful tribute."

Carol Thornley, from Helmshore, watched the famous Bluebird motif painted on to the jet craft's nose as a 12-year-old schoolgirl before Campbell arrived for the boat's handover at the former engineering site.

Carol and her twin sister -- now Christine Blackburn, of Newcastle -- were privileged to be included with the 17 workers at the plant who were presented with brochures autographed by Campbell. Today she said: "Some people think that Bluebird should never have been brought up because it was never lost. After all if you can find the Titanic in the middle of the ocean than this boat was always going to be found. But if somebody wants to do something like this then I think it's really good that such a national part of history will be retained in Lancashire this way.

"It would be good if the buildings were still there so people could see what it was like but there not and I doubt if people even remember they were there."

After first achieving a run of 297mph on Coniston water in January 1967, Donald turned round without refuelling and set off on a second attempt and, after exceeding 300mph, Bluebird lifted out of the water, somersaulted and partially disintegrated on landing on the surface.

Founded in 1947, Samlesbury Engineering, whose products also included assemblies for jetliners, the five seater 'Prospector' light aircraft and buses and personnel and carriers for up to 102 people, was taken over in 1961 and closed in the early 1970s.

Today Pendle-based PDS Engineering, of Nelson, is the main constructor of the Quicksilver boat -- brainchild of Bluebird designer 79-year-old Ken Norris -- in which broadcaster and speed enthusiast Nigel Macknight hopes to challenge the 317mph record set in 1978 by Australian Ken Warby.

Mr Matthews was unable to comment due to a golfing tournament in Scotland.