EAST Lancashire MPs have joined forces across party lines to try and save the area's small market towns from losing their distinctive character.

Nigel Evans, Greg Pope and Janet Anderson have backed a Campaign to Protect Rural England drive to tighten the planning laws to preserve these historic communities.

Last year the CPRE surveyed 100 small market towns - including Longridge - across the country.

It found many towns being threatened by bland and uniformed development with no local character causing serious traffic congestion and services stretched to the limit.

Too often local building materials were not used for new development and local shops did not sell local produce.

Others were becoming dormitories to bigger neighbours while out of town superstores were sucking the life from their high streets.

The CPRE wants to see new planning policies to focus small scale economic developments in the towns, to promote retail development in their centres, and to prevent major developments on the outskirts harming them.

The MPs welcomed the move and said this would help Longridge, Clitheroe, Great Harwood, Rawtenstall, Bacup and Darwen, which recently had its market town status confirmed, to keep their individuality.

Hyndburn Labour MP Greg Pope said: "I was born in Great Harwood and its a market town of great character.

"I and people of the town don't want to see that diluted.

"It's had a market charter for more than 700 years and I would support any moves to tighten the planning laws to ensure that it keeps its distinct character. The last thing local people want is for it to become a suburb of Accrington or Blackburn."

Tory MP Mr Evans said: "It's absolutely essential that we keep the individual character of towns like Clitheroe and Longridge.

"It is that character and distinctiveness which makes people want to live there and visit.

"That can be ruined by chain fast food outlets and stores taking over the high street or by out of town superstores sucking the life from market towns.

"It is absolutely essential that we keep vital and distinctive market towns in East Lancashire."

Rossendale and Darwen Labour MP Janet Anderson said: "Market towns are vital to my constituency. It is essential that Rawtenstall, Bacup and Darwen keep their special identity.

"That's what people want, that's what I want. The people of Darwen certainly don't want their market town's identity swallowed up by Blackburn.

"These small market towns are one of the things that make East Lancashire so distinctive and attractive."