A NATIONAL campaign group has joined the fight to save an under-threat piece of public art ikn Burnley.

The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns for the preservation of the best in architecture and design, has thrown its support behind saving the Thompson Centre frieze, which adorns the Thompson leisure centre in Burnley.

The mural depicts human figures involved in various sports and its next stop could be the rubbish dump if no one comes to its aid.

But the society believes the mural should be relocated, despite Burnley Council saying the £100,000 cost of moving it was too high.

A spokesman for the society said: "The stunning piece of public art could be saved if planners stay firm. The Twentieth Century Society believes the mural ought to be relocated to another publicly-accessible location.

"Comparable relocation exercises of large-scale murals have been successfully handled in Coventry in the recent past, where Gordon Cullen's tiled mural depicting the history of Coventry was moved within the city.

"This shows that the end of a building does not have to mean the end of its artworks."

Millionaire philanthropist William Thompson gave the money for the centre, which opened in 1974 before it was replaced by the new £28million St Peter's Health and Leisure Centre in February.

The Thompson Centre will be bulldozed this autumn and the cleared prime town centre site will become a car park while a decision is made on its long-term future.

A local businessman has offered to buy the frieze and keep it in storage until a suitable home cane be found. Andrew Brown, boss of Crow Wood Leisure, said he would look after the frieze but a response is yet to be given to his offer.