REGARDING your recent coverage of the "Back Off Blackburn" campaign led by Emma Dickinson and her merry band of outraged semi-rural Mellor based green belt activists, and the subsequent comments in these pages of Mr Phil Riley (Secretary, Blackburn Labour Party) I feel compelled to make the following observations.

The village of Mellor has long benefited from its proximity to Blackburn, both in terms of the services that its larger neighbour offers, employment opportunities for many of its residents and of course from the revenue that many residents of Blackburn pour into its many fine hostelries and other rustic attractions.

Mr Riley correctly points out that the public facilities provided by Blackburn with Darwen Council are all happily utilised by individuals from beyond the borough boundaries (including Mellor) as well as the residents of Blackburn with Darwen.

Perhaps the best solution to this subject is therefore for Ms Dickinson and her embittered cohorts to lobby Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott MP in order that he grants Mellor its rightful independence.

While they are about if they could also ask him for some of this apparently plentiful European grant money in order that Mellor can be provided with its own 2000 capacity public concert hall, state of the art swimming pool, several leisure and community centres, an immense shopping precinct (with adjoining multi-storey car park), a Premiership football team and a trans-Pennine rail link -- all of these are currently denied to the villagers of Mellor and I for one wonder how they must manage without them.

Furthermore, perhaps the centre of Mellor could have its own inner relief road as well.

I'm sure that none of these developments would impact too greatly upon the quiet pace of rural life which the people of Mellor currently enjoy whilst also benefiting from the commercial and entertainment facilities that they have at their disposal a couple of miles away in Blackburn.

My advice to Ms Dickinson and her protest group is to not take life too seriously. Enjoy your village life and the attractions and benefits of your local neighbours, but don't forget the age-old adage; don't bite the hand that feeds you.

GORDON PRIOR, Parsonage Road, Blackburn.