CRUMBLING civic buildings across Lancashire need more than £63million spending on repairs.

And if the situation gets much worse, some may have to be closed to the public, says a new county council report.

The gap between available cash and the amount which needs to be spent on repairs has widened dramatically in recent years.

A recent survey of buildings owned by Lancashire County Council revealed £63.65million is needed to put problems right.

But council finance chiefs have set aside just over £13.5million for repairs amid fears for the health and safety of staff.

Around £47 million will have to be found to stop the problem reaching crisis levels, the land and buildings sub-committee will be told today. The news comes just months after it was revealed many of Lancashire's ageing schools are falling into disrepair.

A report claimed it would take 400 years to replace crumbling schools at current spending levels.

Many of the offices owned by Lancashire County Council were built in the 1960s and 1970s and are starting to show signs of wear and tear.

Around 40 per cent of buildings need repairs and problems include structural concrete repairs, refelting of flat roofs, repairs to air conditioning and heating systems.

Older county council offices and buildings also need repairs such as new windows, new roof slates and brick and stonework maintenance.

Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool will take over the running of around 20 per cent of County Hall's buildings next spring.

But local government reorganisation in Lancashire is not expected to have a major impact on the problem.

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