JANET Anderson MP has written to the chairman of Granada asking him to reverse a TV ban on a popular folk dance group because they have blackened faces.

The Britannia Coconutters, from Bacup, were to be followed by a film crew through their rehearsals and then entry into the Eisteddfod - that was until the reporters discovered they blackened their faces and called a halt to the filming.

In a letter sent to Charles Allen yesterday, the Rossendale and Darwen MP says: "I am very angry indeed that a group which contributes so much to my constituency and to worthy causes everywhere should have had its reputation so damaged by a seemingly arbitrary judgment, presumably taken by someone who clearly is completely out of touch with the area Granada seeks to cover." Mrs Anderson said she found the decision "misjudged, ill informed and deeply insulting" and assumed it was taken by someone with no understanding of local traditions.

The Coconutters blacken up because the dance dates back to the last century when the Cornish tin miners migrated north and some settled in Bacup and, in return for working down the coal and tin mines, they taught the local miners the dance.

Another reason is the tradition stems back to pagan beliefs, when to blacken up meant evil spirits were kept away and when the black was washed off the spirits were washed away.

Mrs Anderson added: "The Coconutters are very much part of our community in Rossendale. No local festival is complete without them, and they are much loved across my constituency. Indeed, they enjoy a national and international reputation." Granada said it made its decision because the face blackening might lead to people misconstruing the dancers' act.

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