RAIL bosses who left former world snooker champion Dennis Taylor off a station mural honouring Blackburn's famous faces have tried to make it up to him - by inviting him to the official opening.

The 24-metre, £40,000 artwork stretches along the length of platform four at Blackburn station and features pictures of eight people who have helped shape the town, plus four 'ordinary' folk from its industrial past.

Now Railtrack, who commissioned the piece as part of the station's £5.7million refurbishment, have written to Taylor's management company inviting him to the station's official opening, which has been put back to November.

A spokesman confirmed: "We have spoken to Dennis's agent to see if he would be interested in being involved.

"Obviously Railtrack did not mean to offend him and it is a tribute to Blackburn that it has produced so many famous people, but we did not have the final decision. That was down to the artist and a public steering art group."

But artist Stephen Charnock, from Ormskirk, said it was not down to him and he defended his work.

Stephen, who won the contract after his submitted design was chosen by Railtrack, said: "I didn't mean to upset Dennis but it wasn't for me to say who could or could not be included.

He added: "I was among the 18.5 million that watched Dennis beat Steve Davis. I'm sorry he feels upset about this. It was nothing personal."

Taylor himself told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph he was flattered by the attention but had not "lost much sleep over it".

He said: "I haven't seen it yet but I was stopped by a woman in a restaurant who said it was a travesty I was not included.

"I have spent most of my life in Blackburn and have a strong affinity with the town but I am none too bothered.

"I will look at what is suggested before I make any commitments."

Four-times world superbike champ Carl Fogarty, who is included on the mural alongside Jack Walker, Wayne Hemmingway and Gandhi, said Taylor had been snubbed.

He said: "I know Dennis and if he has been here for 32 years then he should be up there."