AN East Lancashire MP has called for parts of her constituency to be taken out of coronavirus restrictions.

Hyndburn Tory Sara Britcliffe has written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock urging him to remove Great Harwood, Clayton and Altham, Huncoat and Baxenden from the tight controls.

She reveals that Hyndburn Council’s Labour leader Cllr Miles Parkinson supports the move.

Her letter to Mr Hancock came as he, senior advisers and local public health bosses discussed possible changes to the restricted areas in Lancashire at a Gold Command meeting today for announcement tomorrow.

The rules in Blackburn with Darwen borough, where eight wards were last week put into semi-lockdown and nine others (including the whole of Darwen) saw regulations eased to national guidelines, are not expected to change as a result of the video conference.

Miss Britcliffe tells the health secretary: “I have held discussions with the Labour council leader Cllr Miles Parkinson and we jointly agreed to recommend to our Local Outbreak Management Board that certain areas of the borough should be removed from the higher level of restrictions.

“I am disappointed this recommendation was not supported by the Local Outbreak Management Board.

“This also contrasted with the approach taken in the neighbouring area Blackburn with Darwen.

“I would appreciate if the data could be thoroughly analysed on a township basis.

“Essentially this shows there is a clear case for the towns of Great Harwood, Clayton-le-Moors and Altham, Huncoat and Baxenden to be removed from the higher level of restrictions.

“In all of these areas there have been far fewer than 20 cases per 100,000 of the population for a sustained period of four weeks or more.

“There is a reasonable case to be made for the removal of the high level of restrictions for Oswaldtwistle, Rishton and Church.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The Gold meeting, will make the final decision based on the local recommendation, or recommendations if consensus cannot be reached.”

Rossendale was also exempted from tight restrictions while Pendle Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal has complained about Mr Hancock imposing strict new rules on seven borough wards in Nelson and Brierfield.