THE true scale of East Lancashire's youth unemployment crisis has been exposed by Labour with new figures showing that more than one in four of the area's jobless are aged between 16 and 25 .

The most grim statistic comes from Pendle where 33.4 per cent of unemployment benefit claimants (762 out of 2,281) are under 25, the fourth worst figure in England and Wales.

Sixth in the league of shame is Rossendale and Darwen with 32.9 per cent (659 out of 2.201) young people.

In Blackburn, ninth in the list, 32.5 per cent (1,211 out of 3,730) are under 25.

The figures, taken from Government statistics collected in April this year, show Hyndburn with 30.6 per cent (652 out of 2,133) under 25.

In Burnley, the figure is 28.8 per cent (597 out of 2,073) and even in Ribble Valley with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Britain, the number of 16 to 25-year-olds claiming benefit because of unemployment is 24.5 per cent of the total out of work (324 out of 1,325). Revealing the figures yesterday Labour leader Tony Blair warned that it may soon be too late to give these young people jobs.

He said: "If we do not act on this, today's unemployed risk being unemployable. The unemployment bill is costing the whole country dear - in benefits, in crime, in lost taxes.

"The bill for youth unemployment, crime and social decay is now put at £10 billion, 5p on the standard rate for every taxpayer."

Promising proper training and education for all 16 and 17-year-olds and new rules to allow young unemployed to do voluntary and charitable work without losing benefit, Mr Blair said: "The potential of too many of our young people is not being used. As a result our country suffers.

"To have tens of thousands of young people without jobs, without skills and drifting into crime is more than a crisis for them.

"It is a crisis for Britain. It is a crisis we will address."

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