NIGEL Evans has called for the Millennium Dome to be shut and the minister in charge of it, Lord Falconer, to be sacked.

The Ribble Valley Tory MP has urged other North West MPs to forget about party political divisions and join him in making the demands.

Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson, who answers on the Dome in the House of Commons, faces a tricky time when Parliament returns next month.

Several Labour MPs have joined the Tories in condemning the latest £47million National Lottery subsidy to the troubled London tourist attraction.

This has brought the total subsidy from the Lottery to £628million -- almost £140 for every paying visitor.

As Japanese finance house Nomura, due to take over the structure in January, expressed concern about the latest problems, Mr Evans said: "The Dome is a national disgrace. Millions and millions of pounds of our money have been wasted just to bail out this government.

"It should close now and Lord Falconer, who has presided over this national farce, should take the blame for this fiasco and resign immediately.

"People in the Ribble Valley and the rest of the North West have always felt alienated by the Greenwich Dome. It is over 250 miles away and they have been staying away in droves, yet their money is being used to prop up the Dome. This money should have been spread around the country and not just concentrated in Greenwich. There are hundreds of worthy causes all over the North West which are far more deserving than the Dome. It is a scandal that the Dome takes priority over these projects.

"If the Dome closed now it would be in the best interests of everyone. We wouldn't be asked to fork out more money to keep it open and, thus, more money would be directed to the North West. We deserve our fair share.

"I now call on all other North West MPs to forget about party politics and join with me in calling for the departure of Lord Falconer and the closure of the Dome."

A government spokesman said keeping the Dome open until the end of the year was the best option and closure would disappoint thousands of people who had booked tickets to visit it and cost the Government more than keeping it running.