A MAN who spent 20 years in jail for two murders he did not commit today celebrated the arrival of an interim cheque ahead of a full compensation payout and said: "I can now get on with my life."

Since being released from prison in December and then having the two convictions against him quashed by three High Court judges in March, Peter Fell, 39, has been relying on support from friends in London to get by.

All he has claimed since his release has been £52-a-week Jobseekers' Allowance.

But the arrival of an interim cheque, details of which have not been released, ahead of a full compensation payout some time within the next two years for wrongful conviction, means he can finally get on with his life.

Mr Fell was declared innocent at London's Court of Appeal for the double murders of Ann Lee and Margaret Johnson in Aldershot in May, 1982.

In March, judges gave their reason for quashing his conviction, saying Mr Fell had every right to be pronounced innocent by them.

He was originally released on bail in December pending the three day hearing, held in March, which heard Mr Fell had confessed to the murders at a time when he was susceptible to pressure to the point where doctors has described him as a pathological confessor.

Mr Fell, who lived in Blake Water Children's Home, Great Harwood and attended Norden High School, Rishton, before becoming a soldier, said: "I feel that for the first time I am able to get on with my life.

"I have my own place and am creating a new life for myself after such a long time. I now plan to look for work. I have a new circle of friends.

"I spend a lot of time getting fit, going to the swimming pool, that sort of thing.

"I am also going to church a lot."

He added: "My experiences show that there is need for more support for people like me who are released because their convictions were unsafe.

"It is easy to see why some people could end up behind bars again. It isn't easy.

"When I went back to Great Harwood to see my family during the summer, I had a shock at just how much the place had changed, but it is the same everywhere. To come out of prison, adjust to London then go to other areas is a real shock."

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, who campaigned for Mr Fell's release ever since he took office, is now calling for more support for innocent prisoners.

He described the situation as an 'unacceptable loophole.' "I have not made a great deal of progress," he said. "I have been getting a sympathetic response from ministers, but I want to see some concrete reforms.

"The situation Peter found himself when he was released from prison was terrible.

"After being in prison for 18 years for crimes he did not commit he received inadequate support.

"The truth is that victims of miscarriages of justice deserve better from the criminal justice system."