FILM and Tourism Minister Janet Anderson retained her Rossendale and Darwen seat but her Tory rival issued her with a notice to quit after her majority was slashed by half.

Janet Anderson was the first female MP to be elected to serve the area when she narrowly defeated David Trippier by 120 votes in 1992. Last night the triumphant majority of nearly 11,000 which swept her to a second victory in 1997 was more than halved to 5,223.

And her main opponent the canny Scot George Lee, who is also a serving Rossendale councillor, warned: "I am giving Janet four years' notice to quit. The Government has failed to deliver. I intend to finish the job I have started." But Mr Lee did not poll as many votes as his Tory counterpart in 1997, Trish Buzzard, and 60 per cent turned up at the polling stations.

Mrs Anderson, who cadged paper from a Lancashire Evening Telegraph reporter to write her acceptance speech, said: "I am delighted that I have been re-elected to represent a constituency that I love very much."

She blamed the poor turnout for her decreased majority but said she was confident that was because the voters were happy with the Labour administration over the past four years.

She said: "I think too many people thought it was a forgone conclusion and thought there was no need to vote. I hope that come the next election more people will exercise their democratic right.

"We as politicians have a duty to engage people in politics and to emphasise to them how many things there are that affect them which are affected by political decisions." She refused to comment on Mr Lee's remarks.

Liberal Democrat Brian Dunning was third, polling 644 more votes more than he did in 1997. He said: "Nationally our vote has moved up and we are not losing seats. What is showing is that where the Liberal Democrats are in power the people are trusting them and returning them. We are just asking to be given a chance."

Mr Lee thanked his wife Heather and one-year-old son Alexander in his speech and afterwards said: "I believe that spin is diverting politicians away from delivering services the people demand and the lesson to be learned is that it should be people that come first in our public services, contrary to Mr Blair's claims that it is health and classes, the reality it that it should be patients and parents and pupils that come first."

A red faced Bury Mayor turned up to a Rossendale polling station at Stubbins Primary School and lambasted the Labour number counter Janice Johnson for wearing a rosette when Bury had agreed political colours should not be worn -- only to discover he was in the wrong constituency!

FILM and Tourism Minister Janet Anderson retained her Rossendale and Darwen seat but her Tory rival issued her with a notice to quit after her majority was slashed by half.

Janet Anderson was the first female MP to be elected to serve the area when she narrowly defeated David Trippier by 120 votes in 1992. Last night the triumphant majority of nearly 11,000 which swept her to a second victory in 1997 was more than halved to 5,223.

And her main opponent the canny Scott George Lee, who is also a serving Rossendale councillor, warned: "I am giving Janet four years' notice to quit. The Government has failed to deliver. I intend to finish the job I have started." But Mr Lee did not poll as many votes as his Tory counterpart in 1997, Trish Buzzard, and 60 per cent turned up at the polling stations. Mrs Anderson, who cadged paper from a Lancashire Evening Telegraph reporter to write her acceptance speech, said: "I am delighted that I have been re-elected to represent a constituency that I love very much."

She blamed the poor turn-out for her decreased majority but said she was confident that was because the voters were happy with the Labour administration over the past four years.

She said: "I think too many people thought it was a forgone conclusion and thought there was no need to vote. I hope that come the next election more people will exercise their democratic right.

"We as politicians have a duty to engage people in politics and to emphasize to them how many things there are that affect them which are affected by political decisions." She refused to comment on Mr Lee's remarks.

Liberal Democrat Brian Dunning was third, polling 644 more votes more than he did in 1997.

He said: "Nationally our vote has moved up and we are not losing seats. What is showing is that where the Liberal Democrats are in power the people are trusting them and returning them. We are just asking to be given a chance."

Mr Lee thanked his wife Heather and one-year-old son Alexander in his speech and afterwards said: "I believe that spin is diverting politicians away from delivering services the people demand and the lesson to be learned is that it should be people that come first in our public services, contrary to Mr Blair's claims that it is health and classes, the reality it that it should be patients and parents and pupils that come first."

A red faced Bury Mayor turned up to a Rossendale polling station at Stubbins Primary School and lambasted the Labour number counter Janice Johnson for wearing a rosette when Bury had agreed political colours should not be worn -- only to discover he was in the wrong constituency!