THE quest to find a new mayor of Pendle led to a "shoot out" between five Labour councillors, it was revealed today.

The ruling Labour group finally gave the nod to its deputy leader, Colin Waite, but only by a whisker after two votes at a private group meeting.

The party had been thrown into crisis after mayor Fred Hartley resigned for personal reasons just a month into office and Tory deputy mayor Pauline McCormick said she was not prepared to pick up the pieces.

LibDem chiefs made it clear it was for Labour to find a replacement mayor.

And at a sometimes stormy Labour group meeting, five people were nominated for the civic leadership -- ex-mayoress Kathleen Shore, George Adam, Brian Akrigg, Gary Rowland and Coun Waite.

In the first ballot, Mrs Shore --who had been lined up by Coun Hartley to be his mayoress this year until he dumped her in favour of his wife Denise -- went out of contention along with Councillors Adam and Akrigg.

The final vote saw Coun Waite triumph over Marsden ward's Coun Rowland by a wafer-thin margin of eight votes to seven.

Coun Waite, 45, who, subject to approval from the other political groups on the council will become mayor for the second time in three years, said: "I feel very proud to have been nominated by my party and if approved, I look forward to carrying out my duties, with my wife Julie to the best of my ability for the people of Pendle."

The full council is expected to appoint the new mayor on June 28.