NEIGHBOURS in an East Lancashire village are fighting like cat and dog over plans which could see two kennel businesses on the same street.

Kathy Dewhurst has protested over the threat to her Glencoe boarding kennels and cattery, Haslingden Old Road, Oswaldtwistle, which provides holiday boarding for up to 40 dogs and has been established 13 years.

Neighbour Paul Partridge, who breeds dogs including bassetts and huskies, has applied to Hyndburn Council for planning permission to build a kennels and cattery block in his back garden, two doors away.

A decision was due to be made at tonight's meeting of the planning committee after the plan was adjourned for a site visit last month. "I don't feel there's a need for another kennels. There are four already within three miles," Mrs Dewhurst said.

"People book 12 months in advance here. But I don't want people thinking there's room for another kennels."

She is supported by Stuart Berry, whose house will be sandwiched between the two kennels if the application is granted.

He said: "From a noise point of view it's horrendous. If this was allowed to go ahead it would compound the problem severely."

Mr Berry pledged to contest the matter in high court if the kennels were given the go-ahead.

Mr Partridge moved into the area in December after searching for suitable premises for kennels.

"When visitors come, the dogs bark for a couple of minutes then they shut up," he said.

He says the premises have been operated as a dog kennels before, and plans to demolish old buildings and replace them with 19 units, which would house two dogs each.

"I can't understand why they're objecting, the kennels are going to be further away. We are not going to be boarding dogs on a massive scale.

"Other places we looked at were so expensive but this was ideal. There's a lot of work to do but this is what we want." His wife Elaine said: "It's mainly for our own dogs."