A ROW broke out today over a new mural honouring Blackburn's favourite people -- with ex-world snooker champ Dennis Taylor leading the attack over who was left off.

The giant piece of art was unveiled today as part of the £5.7million revamp of the town's railway station.

But Dennis, a sporting figure recognised all over the globe, said: "Whoever decided on this obviously didn't think living in Blackburn for 32 years, winning the world championship and having the biggest ever audience for a snooker game, was enough to qualify."

The £40,000, 24 metre-long mural stretches along the length of platform four at Blackburn Railway Station and has eight pictures of famous people who have helped shape the town and images of four "ordinary" people from Blackburn's industrial past.

Among the famous faces included are superbike hero Carl Fogarty, designer and founder of Red or Dead Wayne Hemmingway and Blackburn Rovers benefactor Jack Walker. But as well as Dennis, there is no sign of Kenny Dalglish, who led Rovers to the Premiership title, or Ewood legend Alan Shearer.

Railtrack today admitted they had left the choice of faces to artist Stephen Charnock, from Ormskirk.

He defended his work and said a list of prospective faces was drawn up and whittled down to eight after advice from a variety of local groups, including the Public Arts Steering Group, at Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Irishman Dennis Taylor, whose famous black ball victory over Steve Davis in 1985 to clinch the snooker world championship was watched by a record 18.5million people, said: "If they feel like that, it is their problem, I won't be losing much sleep over it.

"I have had awards heaped on me from all over the world and my victory was included in the 100 greatest sporting moments, but I have been left off this. It must be by someone who doesn't like snooker."

In his place stands a grinning Gandhi -- who has never even visited the town.

The closest the civil-rights campaigner came to Blackburn was when he visited Darwen in 1931 as part of a national conference on India's constitution. He later stayed in West Bradford.

Pauline Perkins, secretary of the Blackburn Rovers Supporters' Association, said some players should have been included.

She said: "When people visit the town most of them come through the railway station and this will be the first thing they see. When people think of Blackburn they think of Rovers, so there should be some players on it."

Doug Chadwick, chairman of Blackburn Civic Society, said: "You wouldn't tell Van Gough you don't like sunflowers and ask him to paint dandilions instead.

"We were consulted on this design and we are in favour of art in the town centre. It was always going to be a prickly subject and not everyone will be happy, but then the value of art is always in the eye of the beholder.

"With the exception Ghandi, I believe that the mural represents Blackburn well." "Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton helped us win the Premiership, and Tim Sherwood was the captain that year.

"And Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton were both heroes. They both played for England and are still associated with Rovers. I think they both would be appropriate."

Former Rovers hero Simon Garner -- who some said should have been included -- said today: "It would be hard to pick which players go on but perhaps some should have been on. I would have been flattered to have been put up there."

The artwork, which took a year to complete, is part of Railtrack's refurbishment of the station, which is now reaching its final stages.

The artist won the contract to design the mural after submitting his ideas to Railtrack and said he took advice from the steering group, among others.

He said: "They decided to go ahead with Gandhi because they felt it was still relevant.