HAVE a guess as to where these rather nattily dressed gentlemen are standing.

A clue, above their heads was one of the busiest areas in East Lancashire.

Taken in 1960, the photograph shows inspectors looking at the River Blakewater as it flowed under the Boulevard in Blackburn.

The river had been diverted under the town centre via a series of specially made stone-lined culverts and tunnels, re-emerging off Railway Road.

Three years after this picture was taken, a major engineering project was undertaken to prevent the Blakewater from flooding which involved building new culverts and then later the town’s new market would be built above the waterways.

The Blakewater continues to flow under Blackburn town centre to this day although you would be very hard pressed to spot where it goes.