NEWS that unemployment in East Lancashire is rising at twice the average rate of the rest of the country is truly horrifying.

Any increase in the number of people out of work is unwelcome because every individual without a wage packet also means suffering for his or her dependants.

But the present wave of cuts isn’t just hitting the already low-paid.

It’s going right across the board, from skilled aerospace workers to town hall employees who might have thought they had higher job security than most.

Add to that the fact that East Lancashire is poorer than many other areas of Britain and has a costly legacy of unfit housing and health problems, and there is only one conclusion – we urgently need government help.

It is imperative that money is spent to make the area more attractive to new industries and entrepreneurs and improve workforce skills.

The coalition government has reversed the earlier rejection of an enterprise zone at Samlesbury and Warton.

But we need more than words and empty factory buildings.

We need financial aid and action that actually produces jobs.