LEIGH MP Andy Burnham urged all supporters of the Leigh Sports Village to turn out in force on Friday lunchtime to celebrate the start of work on the site.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly was due to officially open the site of the proposed education and sports complex to "turn the first sod" but she was called back to London for a meeting. She had been due to inspect plans for the scheme, including the proposed new Leigh campus of the Wigan and Leigh College.

Mr Burnham hopes the occasion will be a celebration of the LSV and has issued an open invitation to people to attend and join in. He believes a good turn-out is the best possible response to eleventh-hour efforts, most recently from the Community Action Party, to derail the scheme.

The MP's call comes in response to a concerted campaign by opponents to undermine the scheme at the last minute.

Green campaigners have lodged a High Court bid to have planning approval overturned - despite its approval by both the democratically-elected council and the Deputy Prime Minister and having overwhelming backing from the public of the Leigh area.

And, in a further twist, the Leader of the Community Action Party used last week's full Council meeting to call for funding allocated to the LSV to be removed from next year's Council budget a move which would derail the project at a critical time.

The CAP plan was immediately rejected by Council Leader Lord Peter Smith.

Mr Burnham said: "We have not come this far to be knocked off our stride now. This is about the future of our town. It is far too important to the Leigh area to let opponents play political games with it.

"That's why I'm asking people to send them a message by turning out in force on Friday to show support. We should make it a real celebration of what has been achieved in getting the LSV this far and an indication of the solid support it commands across the Leigh community.

"It is the clear will of the majority of people in our area that the LSV is built. Ruth Kelly's visit is a welcome chance to show that the scheme is well and truly on track."

Lord Smith added: "We did of course resist the clamour not to put money into the Leigh Sports Village. Along with the vast majority of local people, we think this is a great scheme for Leigh and local young people in particular."

A spokesman for opponents 'Public Inquiry Please' - PIP - said: "A similar project on the Sports Village site was fully investigated by an independent inspector and rejected, unlike the present scheme which was effectively decided by biased Councillors, who first promoted the scheme as well as making the decisions. Now we are moving into yet another independent assessment, when a judge will get the opportunity to determine whether the decisions were lawfully made.

"Wigan Council have been aware for several months that there is a potential for challenge as they were served legal documents from a local resident's solicitors in December. They may be disappointed, but they should not be surprised.

"We find it surprising that supporters of the scheme have not inquired as to the possible action that opponents may take, and we are amazed that supporters' advisors have not made clear to them the options open to such opponents.

"The danger is that the community will sleepwalk into accepting chaos, and a shoddy result, when the whole package needs a proper independent assessment. We need a Public Inquiry Please."