HUNDREDS of Darwen residents have been left disappointed because council red tape has prevented a new carnival from going ahead.

The Ashton Park Community Park Watch had spent months preparing the event, scheduled to take place over the August bank holiday weekend, as part of a huge fund-raising drive to restore the park's mini-railway.

Events arranged included performances by the police dog display team and local morris dancers.

The group had asked Blackburn with Darwen Council for a £500 grant to pay for a marquee, which was to hold a table-top sale.

After one meeting of the council's regeneration group held in July, a decision to grant the money was deferred to the next meeting, due to be held on September 2 - which would have been after the event .

Ashton Park group spokesman David Jolly said the group had no choice but to postpone the event.

He said: We had already changed the date of the event twice, and to do so again would just confuse people.

"It was a disappointment, but we will now plan a bigger and better extravaganza next year."

"We had planned to raise enough money to uproot the railway, clean it and re-lay the track so it could be used again for the first time in four years.

"We felt it was important to get the line going again because it is the only mini-railway in the area."

A council spokesman said: "We don't think there will be a problem with the group getting the cash.

"It was just that we had no firm date for the event and it was also suggested the money could be better spent on providing the group with new equipment, rather than on a fund-raising event which may raise no money at all."

The Watch now hopes to hold a stall as part of the next Darren-Day festival in September to raise extra cash.

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