HUNDREDS of protesters took to the streets to deliver a resounding "think again" message to county hall bosses over Lancashire's OAP care homes.

As organisers heralded the Lancashire Evening Telegraph Save Our Homes march as a massive success, it was revealed that a meeting has been called between Health Minister Jacqui Smith and council leaders in a bid to end the crisis.

More than 600 people waving placards and politicians from all parties marched on Saturday, in a massive show of public opinion against plans by Lancashire County Council to close homes for the elderly.

Passing drivers honked their horns and waved in support, while firefighters sounded their sirens.

A few spots of rain did not deter people from all walks of life turning out to march the two miles, from toddlers and their parents to residents of the affected homes in their 80s and 90s.

The proposals, due to be considered in July, have prompted outrage from residents, care workers, MPs and people throughout the care homes industry.

The march, organised by Burnley mayor-elect Gordon Birtwistle, and the LET, united people from across East Lancashire in a bid to get the county council to rethink its plans, which will see 35 of its 48 care homes close - 19 of which are in East Lancashire.

The march, which took just under an hour, was led by Mr Birtwistle with Pendle Labour MP Gordon Prentice and Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans and Burnley council leader Stuart Caddy.

They all praised the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's campaign against the care homes plans.

Mr Prentice revealed that he has organised a meeting, on Monday, April 29, between Mrs Smith, county council leader Coun Hazel Harding and social services head Coun Chris Cheetham.

County hall chiefs announced the closure plans as part of a reorganisation aimed at allowing more people to be cared for at home and in a bid to drive up standards.

But Mr Prentice said: "The county council is sleepwalking into disaster.

"I stand here as a Labour MP criticising a Labour county council. The council had no mandate to close these homes and the consultation that is occurring at the moment is a bogus consultation, because there was no alternative put forward to the closures. Of course there are alternatives."

Kevin Young, Editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, also joined the Burnley march.

Today he said: "The demonstration was a clear sign of the depth of feeling of hundreds of ordinary people and it sent out a resounding message to county hall.

"The county councillors may not want to lose face but their strategy is quite simply misguided and they need to change it now."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "I believe that the hundreds who have turned out are representative of thousands of shocked people throughout the county who are totally opposed to any proposals to close these homes."

Mr Birtwistle declared the event a huge success and said: "The county council has to listen to this kind of feeling."

Several petitions, containing more than 1,000 signatures, were handed over to Mr Birtwistle when the march finished at the bandstand, to be passed to the county council.