PRINCE Charles was given a real Burnley welcome yesterday.

Enthusiastic crowds flocked to see the future king who paid a visit to the historic Weavers’ Triangle.

He was greeted by hundreds of people who lined Trafalgar Street before he embarked on a tour of the Sandygate site.

He was making his third visit to the town in four years to see the work of his Prince’s Charities and the transformation of the historic mill site, which has been earmarked for a new university technical college.

Burnley resident Magda Alison, who greeted the prince, said: “I simply asked him what he thought of Burnley as he seemed to visit us a lot.

"He said he really liked it.”

The prince hailed the multi-million pound project as ‘remarkable’.

He said: “I am sure it will make an enormous difference to the whole picture of the area.”

He was shown around Victoria Mill, which has been earmarked as the site of the new education centre, by Dame Julia Cleverdon, the acting director of the Prince's Charities Foundation.

Paying tribute to the scheme, which will encourage investment, educational attainment and job creation, he said: “I was so pleased to hear about the potential for this mill because having opened the Bamford University College last year in Staffordshire and having seen just how remarkably effective this can be and I am so thrilled here in Burnley there is to be another one.

“Burnley and the areas within Lancashire have so many of the best skills in engineering, precision engineering and aerospace we have to find a way to make sure that continues and also produce the kind of skills to fill those shortages that we have just heard of.”

Wearing a grey suit, a blue striped shirt and a pink tie, the Prince explored the renovated Sandygate Square and Slater’s Terrace and spoke with workers renovating Victoria Mill.

Then he met Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle, Coun Charlie Briggs, the leader of Burnley Council, and the Mayor of Burnley Coun David Heginbotham before moving on to meet volunteers, participants and stakeholders from the Prince's Charities which are making a difference in the town.

He said: “I am enormously grateful to Charlie Briggs, Steve Rumbelow and the council for all they have been able to do in terms of working productively with all my charities.

“Somebody managed to find an old interview I must have given on the radio in 1988 and I actually did say the Weavers' Triangle had huge potential and it was a shame to have such a wasted asset. It has taken quite a long time and I am thrilled I am still alive to see it.”

He also met representatives of the Regional Development Agency, the British Waterways as well as volunteers from Reedley Marina who clear rubbish from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on a daily basis.

Lee Hapton, of Hapton Valley Boats, said: “It was really nice to meet Prince Charles.

"He asked us what it was we do and why we do it.

"I explained to him how we removed 150 square metres of rubbish last year saving British Waterways 80 man days.”

The Prince was then led down the canal towpath to meet representatives from National Grid, Enterprise PLC and AP Broome Landscapes where he thanked them for turning the derelict Sandygate Square into a green space.

He also met teenagers from Technical Engineering Development (TED) scheme, which helps 16 to 19-year-olds learn about engineering through a practical workshops, visits to engineering companies and academic training.

Chloe Bradshaw, 17, from Stacksteads, said: “I met Prince Charles 18 months ago and he was asking me how things had progressed over that time.

“I told him I completed the TED course and took part in TWISTER which stands for Teenagers Working in Society to Earn Respect.

“In TWISTER we work as a group to improve societies perception of teenagers and it really helped me to realise to get respect you need to show it.”

Then it was on to meet volunteers from organic food project Incredible Edible Burnley and the Pennine Lancashire Community Farm before shaking hands with the public, who awaited him.

The tour concluded with a performance from Mid Pennine Arts, followed by a speech from Steve Grey, the Chief Executive of Training 2000, the body behind the new college.