AS political party names go, it makes the Monster Raving Looney Party sound straight forward!

But the next time Lancashire County Council meet in full, it will have a new group among its councillors.

County Councillor Tom Sharratt will be representing The Idle Toad.

The name for his group has come from the name of the magazine he distributes free around his constituency, which covers Hoghton, Samlesbury and parts of Bamber Bridge.

His group -- he is the only member on Lancashire County Council, but one of three on South Ribble Borough Council -- was formed in 1997 when Coun Sharratt was deselected from being a Labour candidate in a the election for the Higher Walton and Samlesbury seat, despite having 16 years as the councillor for the area under his belt.

Initially, he gave his new group the title 'Labour Philosophical and Recreational Teaching Institution' or Labour PARTI for short.

Since then, the party has gained three seats on South Ribble Council, while retaining Coun Sharratt's existing seat on the county council, beating Labour in the process.

Coun Sharratt said: "No one ever used our old name.

"Even in council debates we are always called the Idle Toads.

"It is a name that strikes terror into the hearts of our enemies."

The other members of South Ribble's Idle Toad group are Barrie Yates and Warren Bennett.

The former Lancashire Evening Telegraph journalist began distributing what was then called Labour News in 1981, when he first became a councillor.

It changed its name to Idle Toad in 1997 after he left the Labour group, and the magazine comes complete with a charicature of Coun Sharratt on the masthead.

It has become popular with its 9,000 readers for its mix of local news and digs at the Labour Party.