A COUNCIL which lost almost £600,000 on a failed website is looking for funding to re-launch the project.

The Hyndburn Life site was meant to attract business and community investment into the borough, but was so badly updated that it has now been pulled off-line.

Before it was taken down earlier this year it was so out of date it featured a dead councillor among the contacts on one of its pages.

Now, after a formal investigation into why so much cash was wasted on the scheme, Hyndburn Council is set to try again.

Coun Doug Hayes, who chaired an inquiry into the website, said that the lack of continuity in IT staff at the council was a "crucial factor" in the poor performance of the website.

Just months after the site was launched in 2004 the council's IT manager left her job and was not replaced because of a budget crisis.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister gave £75,000, £266,000 came from the government's Single Regeneration Budget and a further £250,000 came from the European Regional Development Fund.

It was hoped that the website would act as a "portal" for online visitors to the borough, publicising businesses and community groups.

Now new funds are to be sought to re-launch the project.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said a forward plan for the future of the website will be drawn up before any action is taken.

He said: "The facility should be marketed as vigorously as possible in order that community and voluntary groups, in particular, can take advantage of it."

When Hyndburn Life was taken down it was littered with inaccuracies and out of date information. An inquiry was launched in November last year into what had gone wrong.

In one part of the site the impression is given that the late councillor Edith Dunston was representative for the Spring Hill ward in Accrington - even though a by-election had already taken place to elect her successor.

Other former councillors were on the website including former Oswaldtwistle councillor Sandra Hayes and Rishton's Claire Hamilton.

Coun Graham Jones, leader of the opposition Labour group in Hyndburn, said the website was an example of a "spectacular" waste of money.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said the website had been funded purely through central government grants.

He said: "No money was spent by Hyndburn Council to develop it."