Blackpool row breaks out after town likened to Chernobyl

Blackpool was likened to Chernobyl during a meeting of Fylde Council

A row has broken out after Blackpool was likened to the scene of a nuclear meltdown by a councillor.

Paul Hayhurst warned that Fylde faced being swallowed up by its Lancashire neighbour which "looks like Chernobyl no matter how much money you put in there".

His comments were made during a debate about devolution at Fylde Council.

The remarks have been branded "sour grapes" and "disrespectful" by Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams.

The Chernobyl disaster was an infamous 1986 nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union that saw the area abandoned amid concerns about contamination and radiation poisoning.

Independent councillor Mr Hayhurst was speaking out against recommendations for Fylde to support plans for a Lancashire-wide deal when he made the comment, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The deal would involve all authorities in the county, including Blackpool, working together to bid for government funding.

Mr Hayhurst said: "I am convinced on that basis that the more co-operation we have with our neighbours down the road, the more this area is going to suffer."

He said that while Fylde was "a prosperous borough" Blackpool "looks like Chernobyl no matter how much money you put in there".

Vast areas were left contaminated and abandoned following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986

But Ms Williams described the comments as "very disappointing and ill-informed".

"It's also incredibly disrespectful to a neighbouring council at a time when, to deliver a great deal for all of the residents of Lancashire, we need to work together," she said.

"So if this councillor wants to come to Blackpool, as he's clearly not been for a while, we can show and explain all the many things we are doing to regenerate the town."

Blackpool regularly hosts children for holidays from Belarus, where families are still suffering from the after-effects of Chernobyl.

With that in mind, Ms Williams said it was "most deplorable" for the councillor to make the connection.

She added: "Our having that connection through the generosity of local charities and residents of Blackpool hosting children is just really deeply unpleasant and unnecessary."

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