A COUNTY councillor has pledged to fight to keep a vital therapy unit in Haslingden after it was shut following a health and safety probe.

Bosses at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust temporarily closed the Stepping Stones Child Development Centre in Warner Street, after county fire officers declared it ‘unsafe’.

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And while services have been relocated to Balladen House in Rawtenstall, there are concerns the unit will be moved to either Holly House in Accrington or even Burnley in future.

County Cllr David Stansfield (Rossendale West), has requested costings for either repairing or replacing portable buildings there.

“The thing I want to ensure is that this service is not lost to Haslingden, or at the very least Rossendale,” he said.

Hesaid he was concerned parents, who have children with a range of physical disabilities, will be faced with extra travel and the loss of a popular and supportive environment.

Catherine Vozzolo, the hospital trust’s children’s service manager, said: “The safety and security of our patients is paramount and it was necessary to close Stepping Stones after the building was declared ‘unsafe’ in the latest fire and health and safety inspections.

The hospital trust was committed to securing a “long-term, local future” for the child development centre in partnership with parents and staff, she added.