THE Enterprise Zone at Samlesbury and Warton is set to get its share of a £100million cash injection.

The money has been set aside by communities secretary Eric Pickles to help zones across the country complete key infrastructure pojects and compete successfully for new business.

Projects will include road building and land clearance to turn the area into a ‘prime economic site’.

It is expected the Lancashire Enterprise Zone, based at BAE Systems’s Samlesbury and Warton sites, will create thousands of new jobs in sectors including engineering and manufacturing.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said the zone would bring growth to the whole of Lancashire.

He said: “I think the Enterprise Zone is a very exciting idea and I am very keen to support it because it wil bring more jobs to the area.

“There are lots of benefits to being in the enterprise Zone in terms of reduced rates and super fast broadband.

“The government is looking to make it even more attractive, so hopefully that will mean even more jobs.

“We have such strength in East Lancashire that many businesses are already looking to relocate to the UK and UK companies are bringing back things they had contracted abroad.”

Mr Pickles said Enterprise Zones were at the centre of the government’s plans to back business and help economies grow stronger.

He said: “We want to help busineses grow further and faster and this extra £100million investment will ensure they have the infrastructure in place to successfully attract even more businesses and create many more local jobs.”