A DEAL to gain control of Blackburn with Darwen Council is expected to be thrashed out within the next 24 hours.

A solution to the turmoil instigated by the sudden resignation of six Labour councillors failed to materialise last night, despite group meetings of Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors last night.

But group leaders are believed to feel the opportunity to topple Labour after it lost overall control of the council for the first time in 21years is too good to miss.

Speculation about deals and the permutations of likely coalitions have been circulating the town hall since the defection of Mahfooz Hussain (Bastwell), Yusuf Jan-Virmani (Audley), Iftakhar Hussain (Bastwell), Parwaiz Akhtar (Bastwell), Salim Mulla (Queen's Park) and Faryad Hussain (Queen's Park).

The six quit Labour just days after being elected in the local elections after a meeting to decide which members would be elected to the council's ruling executive board.

A statement released by the six Muslim councillors yesterday claimed they had been made scapegoats for the shock defeat of former council leader Sir Bill Taylor.

But Labour insiders said the row was prompted by the decision to axe Coun Mahfooz Hussain as executive member for education on the ruling executive committee.

After last night's group meetings Conservative leader Colin Rigby and Lib Dem leader Paul Browne remained tight-lipped.

Both declined to comment until negotiations between groups had ended.

A report in last night's Evening Telegraph incorrectly stated that two Darwen secondary schools had bgeen placed in special measures in the last year, while Coun Mahfooz Hussain had been executive memeber for education. The schools involved were Darwen Moorland and Queen's Park, Blackburn. we apologise for the error.