A LEADING East Lancashire councillor has spoken out over the need for people celebrating Eid to drive carefully.

Cllr Shaukat Hussain said in the past decade there’s been a trend of young Muslim men hiring high-speed cars to celebrate the end of Ramadan and he is calling for calm.

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He said: “It’s been a long hard month and obviously people want to celebrate the end of it.

“It’s a bit like Christmas where people come back home and visit friends and relatives.

“I just want to make sure they enjoy themselves and at the same time they consider other road users.”

Eid will be celebrated by the thousands of Muslims in East Lancashire on Friday or Saturday, depending on which mosque they attend.

As it depends on the rise of the new moon many will not know when Eid starts until Thursday evening.

After early morning prayers, more than 4,000 people will then visit their loved ones in the cemetery at Pleasington.

“The majority of Muslims go to the cemetery and I am asking people to car share to keep the volume of traffic down and also observe the speed limit,” Cllr Hussain said.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has also issued a warning to drivers saying all those who have been fasting for up to 17 hours a day need to recognise they may be tired and at risk of crashing.

Steve Collins, road safety co-ordinator for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “ Lack of sleep over several days will affect a drivers’ ability to concentrate, make decisions and react to other road users.

“The fact is that very often many hire these powerful cars as a group and that means that there could be as many as five occupants involved.

“Excessive speed coupled with driver inexperience, peer pressure to show off and not wearing a seat belt all make young drivers a danger to themselves and others.”

Tony Crook, the prevention, protection and road safety group manager for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service added: “We hope everyone enjoys their Eid celebration but we want everyone to do so safely and so the message we’d like to get across to these young drivers is to remember that there is someone at home who wants you to come back safely.”