Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour reaches Lancashire

The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles have arrived in Lancashire on the Diamond Jubilee tour.

The royal party set off down the Leeds-Liverpool Canal on a barge to the Weavers' Triangle in Burnley, an area regenerated by the Prince's charities.

Prince Charles will stay there to meet charity workers, while the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will visit Burnley College and Burnley Football Club.

They will then go to Accrington, taking in the market, a reception and parade.

The royal couple's trip to Accrington will be Hyndburn's first royal visit since 1968.

They arrived at Burnley's Manchester Road Station, before taking the barge from Finsley Gate Wharf to Slater Terrace, within the Weavers' Triangle.

Prince Charles first spoke of his passion for the Weavers' Triangle during a visit in 1988, when he said "the whole area could be made to be extraordinarily attractive".

The Queen and Prince Phillip will later attend a lunch at Burnley Football Club, hosted by chairman Barry Kilby in the Jimmy McIlroy stand at Turf Moor.

It will be one of Mr Kilby's last engagements before standing down later this month for health reasons.

He described it as "a fantastic honour" to be offering the couple "the warmest of Lancashire welcomes at a club with a great tradition".

"It is going to be a real royal occasion”

After lunch, the Queen and the prince will watch a show from the balcony featuring bands, youth groups and school children.

They will then depart for Accrington when they will tour the town's Market Hall before unveiling a plaque to mark the visit.

Accrington town centre manager, Rob Gregorious, said: "It's a fantastic honour to have the Queen come to visit us.

"Everybody is excited and there is a really buzz about the place."

Sean Foster, a trader in the town's Victorian market, said the Queen's visit is "a momentous occasion".

Mr Foster, who runs a furniture business, said: "It's got to be good for the town. It will be nice - a royal visit isn't something that happens every day.

"It's going to boost the Market Hall and the town itself and bring new business to town hopefully."

Later, the Royal party will attend a reception at the Town Hall and watch a parade before leaving the county for the next Jubilee engagement in Warrington.