QUARRYING giants Tarmac, who have sparked a storm of protest in Colne, are trying in vain to cultivate a "warm, cuddly image," says Pendle MP Gordon Prentice.

Mr Prentice, who is set for a showdown with the firm next month, says the public relations patter does not fit with the company's plans to reopen a cement works in the town.

Mr Prentice is backing a campaign by local people to keep the works shut.

He has been invited to meet Tarmac bosses at a reception in London on July 9 to mark the company's efforts to promote an environmentally friendly image.

"I received a glossy booklet from Tarmac's 'Independent Advisory Panel' with lots of photographs and beguiling text telling me what a responsible attitude Tarmac takes toward the environment.

"They are cultivating a warm, cuddly image.

"Unfortunately this does not square with what they plan to do in Knotts Lane, Colne, by reopening a cement works in the middle of a residential area.

"I have accepted the invitation and I shall be saying loud and clear we don't want Tarmac at the top of Knotts Lane."

The MP also plans to question the advisory panel on what it thinks about the Colne scheme.

The company brochure states that Tarmac "has a responsibility for the impact of its operations on local communities and the natural environment. It is committed to minimising their effects, both on its own and in partnership with others."

The plan to reopen the mothballed works has also been criticised by local councillors.

Tarmac's application to start work in Knotts Lane again after the site closed in the early 1990s is to go before a meeting of Pendle Council's Colne area committee.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.