SPRINKLER systems are hardly a new fire safety development.

They have been around for decades and have for many years been an integral part of the construction of new hotels and office blocks around the world.

With that in mind the failure of Lancashire County Council officials to include such systems in the refurbishment of their remaining 16 homes for the elderly seems a strange omission.

It does not appear to be something that was forgotten because a report obtained by this newspaper reveals that sprinklers were not included in care home plans announced in 2002 despite regular letters from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service referring to them as "essential.'

And since only the most frail pensioners will be in the county's remaining care homes - with the more able-bodied being looked after in their own homes - there is surely a need for the most effective fire precautions possible.

The effectiveness of sprinklers has been proved time and time again in public buildings like schools where they can mean the difference between moderate damage and devastation, not to mention loss of life. Coun Chris Cheetham said: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing." We would have expected more foresight.