Ormskirk County Councilor John Fillis has raised concerns regarding the wisdom of Lancashire County Council to hold the West Lancashire Summer Triathlon later this month.

His worries follow the warning from Angie Ridgwell, Chief Executive at Lancashire County Council and current Chair of the Lancashire Resilience Forum who has said that Lancashire as a whole is currently under close scrutiny from central Government.

"There remains a strong possibility that additional measures may be extended to other parts of Lancashire, so this is not just an issue for Blackburn with Darwen – it is something we must all be alert to," she commented recently.

Cllr John Fillis said "The Triathlon is an excellent event, which is well managed and that’s the problem.

"It has and it would attract hundreds of people from all over the country as participants and spectators.

"Under normal circumstances we would be celebrating its success but these are not normal times.

"We would be setting a precedent for this and other outdoor and similar events right across Lancashire.

"People are already confused with mixed messages and a lack of clarity as to what may or may not be a risk during the COVID Crisis. Under the current circumstance most local people are doing a fantastic job its important the we are open, honest and above all clear about what they need to do to protect themselves their friends, family and the community as a whole.

"As such I have written to the council and Chief Executive raising my concerns and asked them to think again before they agree that this event goes ahead."

LCC have confirmed that the event is expected to go ahead on the 30th August.

As part of the COVID Secure precautions there will be no spectators at the event. Any attendees who arrive at the event will only be allowed access to the car park if they are an entrant or a pre-registered driver. Any drivers not participating will be asked to stay with their vehicle and the car park manager will observe that social distancing is adhered to.

I'm confused by this. This isn't Lancashire County Council's event, so why is John Fillis (who doesn't exactly look the athletic type...) getting involved here and making it sound like the organisers need to have LCC's permission to hold it?

Maybe he should go and have a walk round Ormskirk's pubs and bars instead on a Saturday night and see people from different households stood or sat cheek by jowel, blatantly ignoring social distancing rules.

If the triathlon organisers carry out a risk assessment to show how they can / will comply with Covid-19 measures, and put all of the measures mentioned in place on the day, then what's the problem?