A £1MILLION project to ease Ribble Valley's school places crisis has been approved -- but it could wreck television receptions at dozens of houses in Clitheroe.

A two-storey, 10 classroom extension is set to be created within the grounds of Ribblesdale High School, Queens Road, Clitheroe to help provide extra places for pupils wanting to attend the school.

Lancashire County Council's development control committee approved the plans on Wednesday -- but councillors were told nearby residents would have to buy extra-strong aerials to because the new building would interfere with television signals causing fuzzy pictures.

The new block will replace existing portable classrooms and also provide space so the school can take in extra pupils, who, in previous years, have had to go to other schools outside the Ribble Valley.

The extension work comes two years after Conservative county councillors, led by Chris Holtom, presented a 1,000 signature petition to education bosses after 200 children were refused places at the school.

Parents in Ribble Valley villages on the outskirts of Blackburn launched a major campaign after their children were allocated secondary school places in Accrington, Rishton and Blackburn.

They wanted their youngsters to go to the popular Ribblesdale and Bowland High Schools in Clitheroe instead.

Education bosses blamed the problem on a scramble for places in Ribble Valley schools which received favourable Ofsted reports.

But parents said they had been caught on the hop after a rush of house-building saw a dramatic increase in pupil numbers.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "This £1m scheme is intended to provide additional places in the area to help local parents who state a preference for a local school."

At the development control meeting, planning advisers told the committee that Highfield Road residents could expect television reception difficultiesbut because everyone will have to buy new aerials by 2006 anyway, there would be no funding available to pay for the new equipment.