THE rugged charm of Hyndburn's villages has helped the borough clinch an environmental award.

The village of Green Haworth, on the moors above Accrington, and the hamlet of Tottleworth, near Rishton, were singled out by Hyndburn Council when it entered a millennium-themed competition for attractive villages.

The borough has received a regional silver award from national environmental charity The Green Organisation as part of the group's Green Apple Millennium Heritage Awards.

The villages won the accolade after they were shortlisted from more than 400 entrants.

A council spokesman said: "The competition organisers were keen to recognise that attractive villages are not always picture-postcard pretty, but can reflect the more rugged charms of local building materials, the natural environment and the care and love of residents.

"This award recognises that this part of Lancashire contains some outstandingly picturesque villages, demolishing the myth that the area contains nothing but crumbling mills and chimneys."

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