Hungry hordes are set to be transported to this year’s Accrington Food Festival in vintage ‘char-à-banc’ style.

In a first for the festival - now in its 18th year - organisers have joined forces with Darwen Transport, which has donated two vintage buses to collect passengers from Hyndburn and districts and drop them off right on the doorstep of the festival on Saturday, June 6.

Residents from Great Harwood, Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors, Huncoat, Oswaldtwistle, Baxenden and Rising Bridge will be invited on-board one of the two vehicles, a 1968 Leyland Titan double decker and a 1947 Leyland PS1 single decker.

The vehicles, which seat 65 and 35 people respectively, have been secured by marketing company Scott Dawson Advertising, which has been awarded the contract to organise the newly rebranded Accrington Food Festival for the next three years.

A Leyland Titan PD2 1968 which will be used to transport visitors to this years Accrington Food Festival

Passengers will be able to book their transport for a small fee - and plans are already in the pipeline to extend the transport provision to cover the Ribble Valley and Rossendale.

There will also be a road-legal World War Two tank on display on Broadway, where the majority of the festival will take place.

Murray Dawson, managing director of Scott Dawson Advertising, said: "Securing transport for our guests is a fantastic coup for us and we are extremely grateful to Peter Dawson from Darwen Transport Museum Trust for his support.

"We want to encourage people to make a day of it without the worry of parking and getting home. Taking a trip on one of these wonderful vehicles makes it a stress-free, pleasurable day visitors can enjoy with family and friends."