THE European Commission has dropped legal action which forced a Pendle dairy to close with the loss of 23 jobs.

Bowland Dairy Products, Pasture Lane, Barrowford, shut after the EC said the dairy's cheese curds contained antibiotic traces that were above acceptable EU levels.

Bureaucrats in Brussels launched legal proceedings against the Government after the EC claimed safety and hygiene lapses had not been tackled at Bowland.

The action has been dropped after the UK dairy industry agreed to implement a number of checks.