DEAF people in Rossendale will find it easier to communicate with town hall staff - thanks to a local training scheme.

Workers at Rossendale Council have completed a training course run to give them an insight into the needs of deaf customers.

Eleven employees took place in a workshop run by Bacup-based HearFirst.

The course helped them to learn about good communication tactics to use with different groups of deaf people.

At the end of the course each person was individually assessed by an assessor and was tested on their ability to repair communication breakdowns using a range of techniques.

All employees are set to receive the Level One Certificate in Communication Tactics with Deaf People from the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP).

Course leader, Julie Ryder from HearFirst, who is deaf, said: "People who have had no training in how to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people are often tempted to shout to try and make themselves understood, but good communication is about using other ways to get your message across."