BARNOLDSWICK is at risk from an RAF jet crash because of low-flying war planes, its MP claimed in a new row on the issue.

Labour's Gordon Prentice (right) feared that use of the area for low-level sorties held out the prospect of tragedy.

This week, Defence Minister Nicholas Soames confirmed that a fast jet was in the area on April 18 as Mr Prentice had claimed. He told the MP: "A Harrier aircraft from Number 20 Squadron RAF Wittering on a routine training sortie carried out a simulated low level pass attack on a target some three nautical miles north of Barnoldswick on April 18 at about 10.15am."

But Mr Prentice claimed witnesses told him the jet roared over the town at 300 knots and at just 250 feet.

He believed this was a repeat of an episode in January 1995 when eight Tornados from RAF Bruggen in Germany skimmed rooftops in Barnoldswick and Earby.

Today he said: "I am fed up with Barnoldswick being used as target practice. We have seen the loss of an unusually large number of fast jets over recent months and I am very concerned about the possibility of a crash."

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