FREE gym use has been introduced in Darwen after council bosses said they had listened to unhappy residents.

Following complaints from residents, Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced it will open up gym sessions for free on weekends for those who fit the Re:fresh scheme criteria.

Initially, when the health and wellbeing initiative was launched, people using the Regency Gym at Darwen Vale were still being charged.

And Labour leader Kate Hollern said this meant Darwen residents had to travel to Blackburn to make use of the initiative, which is being rolled out across different age groups this year.

As a result the council has agreed that Saturday and Sunday sessions at Darwen Vale will be free for people aged 16 to 24 year olds and those 50 and over.

Coun Michael Law-Riding, executive member for leisure and culture for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “The people of Darwen told us they are unhappy at the limited amount of free physical activities they can take part in as part of re:fresh.

"We listened to their concerns and have now arranged for free sessions at all our Regency gyms.”

Re:fresh, costing £6m over the next three years, is aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of people in Blackburn with Darwen after the council and NHS revealed ‘killer facts’ about the borough’s poor health earlier this year.

Nick Kennedy, chair of NHS Blackburn with Darwen added: "Re:fresh has so far been a great success with record numbers of people signing up to take exercise and therefore get healthier.

"As the campaign continues to develop we will be looking at what we are getting right and also where we can make improvements.

“It is really good to see that we have been able to get more opportunities for these important health benefits for everyone in Darwen."