WAITING lists in Blackburn have risen while Burnley has seen a drop, monthly figures show.
Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Trust, saw a rise of 12 in May with 5,088 patients waiting for treatment.
In contrast, the Burnley Healthcare Trust has managed to slash its waiting list by 78.
It now stands at 4,688 awaiting operations.
The North West as a whole saw waiting lists rise by 1 per cent -- more than the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Trust of 0.2 per cent -- although are still fewer than they were in May 1998.
The rise was put down to staff holidays in May plus the decision to cancel all tonsil and adenoid operations in January of this year through fears of variant CJD.
Commenting on the figures health minister John Hutton said: "We are not surprised by the figures.
"It is common knowledge that waiting lists tend to rise slightly during the winter months but historically they also tend to go up a little in the spring."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article