COUNCILLORS In Rossendale last night gave the go-ahead for a controversial sculpture on the hills above Haslingden.

And in doing so they dared to tread where their Hyndburn counterparts wouldn't.

The UFO-style sculpture is the latest piece of public art to get the go-ahead in the East Lancashire panopticons project.

Six pieces of giant art will be sited at beauty spots across the area to form a tourist attraction - and no doubt provoke debate.

Councillors in Hyndburn have shied away from that debate, branding all the ideas put to them so far as ugly and unnecessary and making them the only local authority in the area to turn down the chance of hosting one of these panopticons.

The projects, which include things like trees made out of scaffold, as well as the UFO sculpture, certainly have their opponents.

More than 120 residents opposed the Haslingden scheme last night, which they said was a waste of public money and would be a blight on their homes. One said: "Our rural landscape should be maintained, retained and enhanced, not disfigured by gimmicks."

But civic leaders all agree - except in the Accrington area - that the benefits of such sculptures, such as increased tourism, will outweigh the negatives.

It would be easy to turn down planning applications for panopticons, as they do not even fit in with planning regulations.

So councillors must be saluted for having the courage to go ahead with these ambitious public art works.

It's just a shame that the stubbornness of Hyndburn councillors in the past means one of our major East Lancashire towns could miss out on the success and excitement we hope the panopticons will bring.