HOME Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw today vowed to study the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's investigation into the controversial medium secure unit at Calderstones hospital.

Mr Straw, who has been on holiday in France, returned to Britain yesterday and said he would look at information revealed by the newspaper after Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans asked him to intervene and give "categoric assurances" over the unit in Whalley.

This week the Evening Telegraph revealed that people who have committed offences including manslaughter, child sex offences, arson, and kidnap have been housed at the medium secure unit.

Mr Evans joined local planning and education chiefs in saying people had a right to know who was in Calderstones and that security is to the required standard. He called on Mr Straw to meet with health chiefs to discuss the patients and security at the hospital.

He said people living in the area and considering buying a house on a new housing estate being built 30 yards away had a right to know who their neighbours were and urged trust boss Russ Pearce to come clean.

Mr Evans said: "A letter from myself should have arrived at Mr Straw's office yesterday suggesting that he and Health Secretary Alan Milburn should get together and discuss Calderstones. They both have a responsibility in this. I think they should look at what type of people are in there and whether they should be in there."

Mr Straw, who was making his way home yesterday, said that on the face of it the Calderstones issue looked like a health matter.

But he said: "I will look at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's coverage of Calderstones and see if it is something I should to be involved in."

Builders Alfred McAlpine Homes Ltd have given trust bosses at Calderstones a vote of confidence and pledged to complete the manor house grounds style development which consists of more than 300 homes and includes outline planning permission for a school.