HYNDBURN councillors are to spearhead a campaign against a giant utilities company in an attempt to keep sewerage maintenance in the public sector.

Warrington-based United Utilities is set to take over the responsibilities of sewerage maintenance from many of the region's councils in four years time. But Tory-controlled Hyndburn aims to take on the giants in a cross-council effort to keep the last vestiges of the formerly nationalised service in the public sector.

Discontent was aired when United Utilities managing director of service delivery, Les Dawson, wrote to Hyndburn asking to end the Sewerage Management Services Agreement from next year, two years early. Under the proposals, the council employees would transfer to United Utilities with the company pledging to guarantee their present working conditions under European regulations known as TUPE or Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment).

Members of the council rejected the proposal outright and vowed to contact the other politicians from 12 authorities in the region which have similar agreements with United Utilities.

Works Service manager John Schofield told members at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the council earned £140,000 from the SMSA contract and the council employed three members of staff responsible to administer it. His report revealed the proposal had been of great concern to the staff who had 52 years' experience between them. They feared being "asked" to work from other locations or even abroad. Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: "We have no intention of pulling out of the arrangement in 2002 and are also concerned about the effect of what happens after 2004. If all the councils affected can get together, we will have more of a chance to win. We are happy to take a lead on this and I shall be writing to the council.

"It is a case of minnows versus giants and we need to get the minnows together so we can have more clout."

He added: "I do support privatisation in general but we must look at the present, and in this case, if United Utilities were to go it alone, I would regret it."

Labour opposition leader Ian Ormerod said: "Water is fundamental to life and it should never have been privatised. This is bad for the people of Hyndburn, unless they happen to be United Utilities shareholders."

Ribble Valley Council deputy leader Harry Backhouse said he believed most councils were opposed to ending the scheme early and was "very receptive" to Hyndburn's overtures. His council had also rejected the request by United Utilities to end its £140,000 a year contract to manage public sewerage maintenance two years early."

A spokeswoman for United Utilities confirmed they were reviewing the current arrangements with 42 local authorities who manage the sewerage network.

She said: "Ending the contract would mean improved efficiency to the customers and provide more certainly to the council employees working on a contract which was due to expire in two years anyway. Rather than having 42 separate management arrangements we will be able to look at this holistically, and though the work is managed by the councils, it is carried out by contractors so it would not affect the whole workforce."