THE leaders of Blackburn with Darwen Council have written to health secretary Matt Hancock urging him to rule out putting the borough back into a lockdown.

They welcome the government’s decision not to introduce localised restrictions despite rising coronavirus rates and the presence of the Indian variant.

The letter from council leader Cllr Mohammed Khan, chief executive Denise Park and public health director Professor Dominic Harrison stressed that residents have already more than played their part in combating the pandemic.

It reads: “We fully support your decision not to introduce local lockdowns and allow Blackburn with Darwen to continue on the next stage of the roadmap. However, we note stories in the national media that they are being actively considered if the situation worsens. We would like this option to be completely removed as a possible intervention.

“We will of course act swiftly to work with you on all of the helpful practical national support measures being offered, as we’ve done from the start. In return we are simply asking you to listen to our experiences, we know our borough and its people the best. Our residents have been playing their part more than any other area of the country for 12 months and it's taking its toll.

“We are also focusing on our schools and colleges to ensure they have the best advice and continue to wear masks and we are looking at other measures to ensure the freedoms coming with the latest stage of the roadmap do not lead to problems and disruption. We look forward to hearing how we can work together in true partnership to influence the policy decision being made in London.”

Cllr Khan said: “The council and its partners are doing whatever we can to get the virus under control. What is clear though is a return to a tiered system or local restrictions would have a terrible impact on our residents, businesses and communities. We have been in some kind of restrictions for over a year. Lockdowns will not provide a sustainable solution to rising rates in areas of high risk or with surges in variants. We need to work together across national and local government to actively manage these risks – not lockdown every time rates rise.”