EDUCATION chiefs in Lancashire have welcomed a multi-million pound New Year windfall to rebuild and refurbish crumbling schools.

Lancashire got a bigger slice of the 'cash pie' than any other education authority.

The investment is part of a three-year, £4 billion modernisation drive to boost performance in schools. Lancashire received £58.3 million, while Blackburn with Darwen got £6.5 million.

The investment will enable schools and the education authorities to carry out major repair and improvement projects such as building new classrooms, replacing roofs and heating systems, or providing new school labs.

Every school will receive a direct allocation to spend as they wish and the education authority will have resources to top this amount up so that major repair and refurbishment projects can also be undertaken.

Lancashire's education chairman County Councillor Hazel Harding, said: "This is wonderful news for Lancashire schools. We have received the largest allocation of any authority in the country. We have already been undertaking an extensive programme of repairs and this major new investment will enable us to make even more significant improvements.

"This reinforces the county council and government's commitment to improving buildings and facilities for the benefit of our young people. Since the last general election, more than £107m has been spent on Lancashire's school buildings."

Councillor Bill Taylor, executive member for education and lifelong learning on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We are very pleased with this allocation which, along with our own capital programme and the New Deal for Schools money, will be used to continually improve facilities at our schools.

"After many decades of neglect, schools are seeing more decorating, maintenance and repairs. New classrooms and even new schools being built. We currently have rolling programmes to renew roofing and windows and improve toilet provision in schools. We have also implemented a planned replacement of heating systems."