THE long-running Blobbygate saga took yet another dramatic turn this week with the revelation that Noel Edmonds is to personally give evidence as part of the District Auditor's investigation.

The millionaire entertainer is prepared to turn over all his files, documents and records to the auditor to assist the two year investigation into the council's role in the failed Crinkley Bottom venture.

Mr Edmonds won a £1 million lawsuit against the council and has described the affair as the "greatest local government scandal of modern times."

Both he and company executive, Paul Pascoe, will be interviewed by the auditor on September 21.

If found at fault for the £2 million fiasco, a number of councillors and council officials could be surcharged by the auditor whose investigation has cost £400,000 so far.

Members of the public have submitted a number of objections to the council's accounts for Blobby including one registered by local resident Mr Mike Ford, who said: "When the settlement with Noel Edmonds was announced and the leader of the council, Stanley Henig, said it had cost taxpayers £2 million but no one had done anything wrong, I felt that was inconceivable.

"When I made a few enquiries it was quite clear that a number of things had gone seriously wrong."

Councillors and officers have protested that, rather than a scandal, Blobbygate was a business deal that went badly wrong and exposed a lack of financial and business acumen rather than any wrong-doing.

Lancaster's MP Hilton Dawson, who was deputy leader of the city council and chairman of economic development at the time of the Crinkley Bottom deal, has gone on record to say that he was "too keen to suspend critical judgement" and that "serious mistakes were made" however he maintains that no one did anything wrong.

But Mr Edmonds claims the council's behaviour was scandalous.

He said: "The manner in which they terminated the agreement was damaging, both to myself and the Blobby character."