THE furniture industry in Hyndburn may be under threat from the rising price of wood, MP Graham Jones has warned.

Timber costs more than double what it did five years ago, putting massive financial pressure on firms using the material, such as Senator International Altham.

Price hikes are due to government subsidies awarded to wood-burning biomass plants which use wood to produce electricity. Government subsidies have encouraged investment in such firms, increasing demand and cost of the material.

MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn Mr Jones who serves on the Public Bill Committee for the Energy Bill, raised the issue of burning biomass for energy. He said: β€œIt has been a concern raised by many people in the past that burning wood is not only wasteful, and bad value, but it also causes the price of wood to increase, which is bad for the furniture industry.”