PARTS of rural East Lancashire are being placed in fuel poverty because of their lack of connections to the gas network, a major energy study has found.

And despite the area being home to one of Europe’s largest wind farms, at Scout Moor in Edenfield, consultants commissioned to write the Lancashire Energy Strategy believe that more turbines could account for more of the county’s energy requirements.

County business chiefs have been told that, in general, Lancashire’s access to the gas and electricity network was not hampering growth.

But Andy Walker, the county council’s head of business growth, said in a report to the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership: “However specific key development sites can lack the infrastructure to be developed quickly.

“For regions such as the Forest of Bowland, lack of access to the gas grid is increasing instances of fuel poverty as residents are forced to pay higher prices for alternative fuels.”

One Ribble Valley landlord, Onward Homes, which has more than 420 properties scattered across the borough’s villages, has already pledged to reduce the number of homes without access to a gas supply as part of a neighbourhood plan.

Elsewhere the strategy notes that Scout Moor wind farm generates 65 megawatts - but that this only accounted for 22 per cent of what potentially could be created.

Others are also scattered across the area at Coal Clough, near Burnley, Oswaldtwistle and Darwen.

But Mr Walker noted that the “planning environment” had changed, with more barriers now being presented regarding the approval of such schemes.

The European Regional Development Fund had also provided £9million worth of low-carbon scheme funding, including one promoted by East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce for smaller firms.