THE Royal Bank of Scotland's chief economist Jeremy Peat is backing business and industry in East Lancashire to recover from the economic slump.

Speaking at a seminar in Blackburn, he said he had been encouraged by the optimism displayed by the bank's customers and his colleagues.

He said: "The North West economy is performing well and Lancashire - given its healthy mixture of manufacturing and service companies - stands well placed to both benefit and support this trend.

"Moreover, Lancashire's world-leading engineering companies can hope to capitalise upon the global economic recovery. The improved performance of the global economy has provided the platform for a return to sustained, strong growth in the UK."

Dave Haslam, director for commercial banking for East Lancashire added: "Within the North West alone, Lancashire provides for more than a fifth of the region's total economic output, which stems from its historically high number of manufacturing and service sector businesses.

"We look forward to continuing to work with all of our customers to help them to fulfil their growth potential."

and consequently contributing to the strong economic performance of the region".