INDUSTRIAL fireworks, which could be ‘lethal’ in the wrong hands, have been found on a Barrowford allotment, sparking a row between parish councillors.

Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards arranged for qualified pyrotechnicans to remove the the category four fireworks, which included mortar shells, from a Pasture Lane allotment at around 10.30pm on Thursday.

They were alerted to the fireworks by Pendle Council after members of Barrowford Parish Council made the discovery the previous night.

Parish councillor Michael Simpson said he had found the fireworks after residents had alerted him over the contents of the shed.

Fearing the devices involved explosives, he contacted police to ask if they would bring in the Army’s Bomb Disposal Squad to remove them, which he said had belonged to the now-defunct Barrowford Fireworks Committee, and had been there for up to 10 years.

But officers, after inspecting the allotment, said they did not deem the devices an ‘imminent’ risk.

They asked the parish council to station somebody to prevent people from getting into the shed until a resolution was reached.

Police were called to the allotment again on Thursday afternoon when a row broke out between Coun Simpson and Iain Lord, the Barrowford Parish Council clerk.

It is understood that the argument was over who had known about the fireworks and for how long.

A few hours later Trading Standards officers, after being contacted by Pendle Council, organised the safe removal of the fireworks, which Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service described as ‘potentially lethal’.

Amanda Maxim, Trading Standards unit manager for East Lancashire, said: “Our primary role was to make the situation safe.

“We will be looking into the matter to see if there is any case to answer.

"Because they had been there for quite a while and some of them were leaking, they needed to be taken into storage.