ONE OF Pendle's worst eyesores will be demolished following months of pressure on its owners.

Local councillors were celebrating after hearing that Eagle Star Insurance has agreed to flatten the former Evora mill at the corner of Skipton Road and Byron Road, Colne.

The building, officially known as Byron Road Mill, was formally a laundry before being taken over by the Evora children's clothing firm.

The business closed several years ago and since then it has become a target for vandals and increasingly a danger.

A number of options to redevelop the site were looked at but rejected.

This was due mainly to the poor state of the building and the presence of a culvert through the back of the site.

Ward councillors Ian and Gill Gilhespy campaigned hard to get the mill knocked down.

Mrs Gilhespy said: "We are delighted that the owners have at last seen sense.

"We all knew this had to happen and have been using every possible pressure to secure this decision."

Pendle Council recently looked at the condition of the culvert.

Local councillors said they would be pressing for any necessary repairs to be carried out so the site could be developed.

"But the main problem has been sorted out at last," said Mrs Gilhespy. "For the moment we are celebrating."

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