A SCHEME to encourage East Lancashire parents to use 'real nappies' has been shelved as part of local authority cuts.

The Bottom Line Real Nappy Project, which gave parents information, support and advice about real nappies as well as £45 towards to the cost of nappies, has been cut by Lancashire County Council.

Sarah Parry, who runs the YummyBums Laundry Service social enterprise for the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas, said the vouchers allowed parents to have a six week free trial of the laundry service.

She said: "Being a not for profit group means we are feeling the cuts from all angles but going forward we are working closely with mother and baby groups, still make home visits and still happy to discuss reusable nappy options.

"I still feel the trials and visits are an important part of our service. We take out the hassle of washing the nappies and it also gives us a chance to let people know of the devastating pile up of nappies we are leaving our children and theirs to deal with.

“Landfills will need to be replaced with alternatives such as incinerators, and that could well be our lifetime."

The scheme, which began in 2005 and has received 6709 requested vouchers, came to an end yesterday and any vouchers already received must be used by the end of March.

"There has been a rush in enquiries and new customers due to the scheme ending which is good and bad news. We have had to order more supplies, but as funding is being cut for that also, our own pockets have felt an extra pinch to cope with demand."

"We shall have to reflect these changes to our service, and area dependant offer a free one week trial.

The scheme was delivered by Global Renewables Limited as part of the Waste Management Strategy on behalf of the council.

Albert Atkinson, deputy leader and cabinet member responsible for the scheme, said: "Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council have invested significantly in new treatment facilities that can now treat disposable nappies. This means that the Real Nappies for Lancashire incentive scheme no longer represents value for money."