A COMPANY boss has hit out at council chiefs for not supporting local businesses in one of their publications.

The manager of a health and safety business slammed the authority for including adverts from firms from Hyndburn and even Manchester but leaving out some local companies.

Michael Black, of Albion Safety Products, Darwen - which supplies the council's housing department - has accused Blackburn with Darwen Council of overlooking local firms when asking for advertisers for its Health and Safety Handbook, which gives advice for local companies and is given to new firms in the borough. Out of 48 adverts, seven are from businesses outside Blackburn with Darwen.

Mr Black said: "None of the advertisers from outside the borough can offer anything that cannot be found within the borough. It's an official handbook going to new businesses within the borough. Surely the council should be promoting local businesses.

"The council are keen to ram Blackburn with Darwen down people's throats when it suits them. Everyone in this handbook should have been businesses from Blackburn with Darwen."

He said: "We were not asked if we wanted to advertise in this."

A council spokeswoman said the advertising for the booklet was sold in 1997-98, a year before Mr Black's business was set up, but promised to "put him at the top of the list" for the next handbook. The booklet had been produced for the council by a Cheshire firm and there was a disclaimer warning people the advertisers were not endorsed by the council.

She added: "The council has no policy of excluding people from outside the borough from advertising in our publications."