TORY MP Nigel Evans has turned down an invitation to visit the Millennium Dome.

He has told organiser Lord Falconer: "I will never set foot in the place, this century or next."

The Ribble Valley MP said the £750million spent on the structure could have been better spent elsewhere.

He said: "Money should have been spread across the whole of the UK, not just poured into one area. My constituency is losing out on this so-called millennium experience. Local residents pay just as much tax as Londoners, yet often miss out on sponsorship and funding of the arts, sports and other good causes.

"I find it hard to justify the enormous cost of the dome, when some of my constituents are on hospital waiting lists for essential operations."

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