A £65,000 bid to help pay for CCTV security cameras in two East Lancashire towns has been rejected by the Government.

The cash would have been used to pay for cameras to combat crime and anti-social behaviour in Brierfield and Padiham town centres.

Of the 281 applications to the Home Office just 31 were successful.

Like the Burnley bid they all involved the use of mobile cameras and included schemes that worked with other local crime fighting measures.

"Although our bid covered both of these areas and the need was clearly demonstrated we were unsuccessful," said Lea Fothergill, part of the team which co-ordinated the latest application.

"We were disappointed but while we have not been successful it is important to remember that the Burnley Partnership has attracted grants in excess of £250,000 to enable us to implement a number of very successful schemes." Only one North West scheme was given the green light. Chorley Council was granted £22,000 to instal cameras.

Brierfield Town Council is still going ahead with the installation of at least three CCTV cameras in the town, paid for out of its own money and linked to the Burnley CCTV scheme.

Council clerk Jim Slater said: "We are disappointed, but I'm not surprised we didn't get it.

"Personally speaking I felt Burnley had got a lot of money in the past and this was just our unlucky time."

Councillors will meet tonight to discuss the way forward and put forward recommendations to the full council which meets on Monday.

The East Lancashire bid was co-ordinated by Burnley Council, which controversially produced maps of the town centres showing problem areas as evidence that the cameras were needed.

Pendle councillors Allan Buck and Sajjad Karim criticised the move and claimed it made Brierfield look like Beirut

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