AN ex-serviceman from East Lancashire who took to the streets to save the county's last remaining regiment has collected 6,000 signatures.

Dave Elliott, who lives in Mizpah Street, Burnley, has handed in a petition to the headquarters of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, demanding the regiment be saved.

The 63-year-old, who is press officer for the Burnley and Pendle branch of the QLR, and a small army of volunteers, pounded the streets drumming up support. And the petitions have been handed in at Fulwood Barracks, Preston.

Dave, who served in the Lancashire Regiment Prince of Wales Volunteers, today thanked people for their support. He said: "I would just like to thank the people for their support. People were coming up to sign the petition and they very aware of the need to keep our heritage. If we had had more time and more people, we would have got a lot more signatures."

Dave joined the fourth battalion of the East Lancashire Territorial Army in 1960. A year later he joined the volunteers serving in Cyprus, Germany and Swaziland until leaving in 1967.

Petitions were placed in town halls, post offices, shops and clubs across the area for people to pledge their support.

The Government intends to modernise the structure of the armed forces which could include a scheme to merge the QLR with other regiments.

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph launched a campaign to save the regiment and has so far received more than 2,000 signed coupons from readers.

Dave thanked the LET for their support. He added: "We would like to thank the Evening Telegraph. They have done a tremendous job."