A TOURING 'health check' bus has steered almost 1,500 members of the public on the road to better health in Hyndburn.

"It may well have saved quite a few lives," Councillor Bill Pinder told Hyndurn environmental health committee.

The mobile health exhibition bus has been the flagship of a borough council Health Education/Health of the Nation campaign.

But a fresh injection of cash is needed to repeat the prescription.

The borough-wide campaign is being spearheaded by Doctor Pervez Muzaffar.

Joint health authority finance to fund his post as co-ordinator runs out in March.

Unless more money is found much of the work will cease, councillors were told. They were presented with a three-page report detailing the health-related areas tackled so far.

These include home safety, coronary heart disease, meningitis awareness, stopping smoking and stress management.

A new initiative is drugs forums, but the response to a letter sent to all secondary head teachers had been "very poor," said the report.

Councillor Mrs Sonia Bramley-Haworth said: "It is a very very serious problem, and it's not going to get any better.

"However young children are they are still at risk"

Chairman Councillor Len Dickinson said the report was a little misleading.

The majority of secondary schools in Hyndburn are working very hard to combat the threat of drugs and drink with their own sessions, he added.

Head of environmental health Steve Todd said 1,500 people was an 'amazing' number to have been on the bus for health checks, advice and information.

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