COUNTY Hall bosses today pledged to improve the lot of prisoners being held in ageing police stations across East Lancashire.

The move comes as new state-of-the art facilities take shape in Blackburn and Burnley.

The Lancashire Police Authority has launched a review of facilities across the region after the Home Office published new guidelines.

The guidelines demanded improved conditions across the UK for short-term prisoners in police cells.

Ibrahim Master, the authority's vice-chairman, said: "We place great importance on the standard of custody facilities in the county.

"We are looking at our provision to ensure the needs of the constabulary are met.

"New Home Office guidelines also mean that new standards for custody facilities will have to be met."

In Blackburn, a new police headquarters with custody cells is being built on land at the Greenbank Business Park, close to the M65 junction at Whitebirk.

When it is completed at the end of the year it will serve all of Eastern Division, which covers Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

The old HQ in Northgate will be sold off.

The entire scheme will cost around £8million - £5.6m for the new headquarters and £2.4m for a new town-centre base - and has been made possible though a grant from the Home Office.

At Burnley, a new £1million centralised custody suite is due for completion in January 2003.

New arrivals who are considered dangerous will be put in a transparent holding cell, and there will be purpose-built juvenile cells and a surgeon's room.

The new complex, at the back of Burnley Police Station, will serve Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

Mr Master said no decisions had yet been taken on improving other facilities in East Lancashire but a final report is expected to be presented to the Resources Committee soon.

There are custody facilities at police stations in Blackburn, Accrington, Clitheroe, Colne, Padiham, Rawtenstall and Barnoldswick