SOME of East Lancashire's best-kept secrets have beaten off hundreds of entrants to reach the final of a county-wide competition.

Four villages in the area have been shortlisted in the Lancashire's Best Kept Village Competition 2000, to be judged this month by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Alan Chesters.

The annual competition is sponsored by Chorley and District Building Society and the final is split into four categories.

Waddington (pictured) in the Ribble Valley and Belmont near Blackburn are the only two finalists in the small village class while Ribble Valley beauty spots Bashall Eaves and Walker Fold are nominated as the best hamlets in the county, along with Hill Chapel, Preston.

Bilsborrow in Wyre and Caton in Lancaster will battle it out in the champion class while Great Eddleston in Wyre and Newburgh, West Lancashire, are up for best large village in Lancashire.

Organiser Donald Cameron said the Bishop Chesters would visit each finalist over the next couple of weeks.

He said: "All the finalists have time in which to make that final effort needed to become one of Lancashire's official best kept villages."

A record number of 128 villages entered this year's competition and winners will be announced on September 9. A presentation ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 21.