IT'S not enough for all the people concerned with closure after closure of East Lancashire factories to be saying "Tut, tut -- what a shame."

MP Janet Anderson was going to have words with Airtours. Too late, Janet, the horse has bolted.

Jack Straw needs to wake up to the fact the area is dying a quick death. We could well do without his help in moving Cupal from Blackburn to Durham through Enterprise Zone grants which we could well have done with.

Was he too busy covering over the cracks of his own latest gaffes to notice we're all going down the pan?

I appreciate that the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, both in its coverage of the latest closures and its editorials, has highlighted the situation. But it is time to put the blame where it lies -- on our politicians both national and local.

Is it any wonder we don't want thousands of 'refugees" here -- at least, I don't -- as we haven't got the jobs, etc. to cope with them all.

We need to look after our own first. Everybody needs to get on to these "doing very nicely" politicians and tell them the rest of us, be it workers or pensioners, are all sinking.

SAM SPENCE, Ribblesdale Place, Blackburn.