REGARDING the letter from Mr E Moss (LET February 16), It is very obvious that he is not a true Darrener or he simply could never have described Darwen as being a suburb of Blackburn.

I would guess he has only lived there since the seventies when, the borough boundaries were altered and Darwen Council was disbanded.

It is true that recent housing developments to the south of Blackburn have spread up to the northern boundaries of Darwen, but until 20 years ago there were open fields separating the two towns.

Because of circumstances, I no longer live in Darwen, but I still regard myself as a Darrener born and bred and I quite clearly remember having to pay twice on the local trams and buses when we went to Blackburn: once when boarding at Darwen and again when we got to the Blackburn boundary, so enabling the respective transport authorities to fairly split their profits.

I also remember the three railway stations and the five cinemas we had. Darwen was a thriving community with less unemployment and more diverse industries than it's bigger neighbour.

I must admit, however, that many Darreners support Blackburn Rovers. Many Darreners support Manchester United -- does this make us a suburb of Manchester, too?

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mr Moss was run out of town and was made to spend the rest of his days in -- Blackburn!

CARYL ASHWORTH, Knowsley Road West, Clayton-le-Dale.