FURIOUS residents believe an industrial laundry planned for a quiet area of Blackburn will cause disruption and pollution.

People living around Vale Mill in Emerald Street are angry at moves to open a denim washing and dyeing works.

And they want the local government ombudsman to back their campaign to block New Look setting up shop at Vale Mill.

The denim firm was granted planning permission to change the use of the mill earlier this year and the firm which operated a paper depot at the site recently moved to a new premises in Shadsworth. Residents in Roe Lee Park, local councillors and Brownhill Residents' Association opposed the original application.

Retired Peter Bush and bricklayer Robert McGuire are taking their case to the ombudsman. Mr McGuire, whose home backs on to Vale Mill, said: "A dye works like this is bound to cause pollution in the area. There is no way you run a factory like this without there being some kind of harmful emissions. We are also very concerned about the extra traffic and disturbance.

"The firm said they would be employing around 15 people but this is a big site and I am sure you could get a lot more workers than that in the building."

Blackburn Council checked emissions from a similar works and found chemicals used in the stone-washing and dyeing process did not pose a health risk.

The Environment Agency and North West Water did not object to the planning application.

Planning officials imposed a series of conditions on the firm to control noise levels and working hours at the mill.

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