ONLY two East Lancashire villages - both in Ribble Valley - have been shortlisted in the 1999 Lancashire Best Kept Village competition.

The competition, now the largest of its kind in England, this year attracted a record 124 entries.

Bashall Eaves and Walker Fold, both in Ribble Valley, have been shortlisted in the hamlets class out of 29 entries.

But shortlisted villages in other categories, including the prestigious champion class, are all from outside East Lancashire.

The highest number of entries in last year's event, 24, came from the Ribble Valley, which had winners in four classes and three second placings.

There were 12 entries from Pendle, which won one category, and two from Burnley, one of which was highly commended.

A spokesman for the competition said selecting the finalists had been very hard, with 53 entries scoring 80 per cent or more. The finals judge, Lancashire County Council chief trading standards officer Jim Potts, will visit the shortlisted entries later in the month to choose the winners.

These will be announced early in September and prizes presented at Barton village hall in October.

Bashall Eaves has won the hamlets class of the competition three times, the last time in 1991.

Village spokesman Jim Fenton said residents had worked hard to keep the hamlet clean and tidy.

And a new eye-catching feature next to the village green was a reconstructed cheese press.

"We were disappointed not to win last year, but have made every effort to do well this year, especially with the new eye-catching feature," he said.

Walker Fold, near Chaigley, put itself on the map when it romped to success, also in the hamlets section of the competition, in 1994.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.