A LEADING councillor is calling for Darwen's mayoral chains to be returned if plans for a town council get the go ahead.

Tony Melia, leader of the For Darwen Party, said if the council was set up, he wanted to see the chains back in their home town.

But the leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Colin Rigby, has branded the idea as a "non-starter."

The mayoral chains, originally belonging to Darwen Council, were made in 1879 by T. J. Bragg of Birmingham.

They were used by the mayor, mayoress and deputy mayor in Darwen until 1974 when Blackburn and Darwen joined together as Blackburn Borough Council.

The chains were then put in storage, but in 1980 the Blackburn chains were stolen.

Since then they have been used by mayors of Blackburn Borough Council and then Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council .

Blackburn's coat of arms has been attached to the mayor's chain instead of the original Darwen pendant which features wavy lines of azure between three sprigs of a cotton tree and the motto "Absque Labore Nihil", which translates as Nothing Without Labour.

The last Darwen mayor to wear the chain was C. Talbot from 1973 to 1974.

Coun Melia said: "If a town council for Darwen comes about, then we want the original Darwen chain back.

"It's quite important to the heritage and identity of the town and the people of Darwen feel strongly about the matter.

"At the moment, the Darwen chain is being used with Blackburn links and the Blackburn pendant.

"We would want the Darwen chain back in it's original state - with the Darwen pendant and the Darwen links.

"I'm assuming that Blackburn have had insurance money when their chain was stolen, so they would have to get a new one."

But Colin Rigby said: "This is an antique argument as far as I am concerned.

"We have been one borough for the last 33 years, not two boroughs.

"This argument has been created by people who think a Darwen town council is a fabulous idea and want some propaganda.

"For me it's a non-starter."

A town council is a key aim of the Lancashire Telegraph's We're Backing Darwen campaign which is bidding to revitalise the town.