A PASSIONATE rallying cry has been made for Barrow to start selling itself.

Barrow councillor Alan Pemberton has urged town hall bosses to start marketing the town to the world.

People who live in the Barrow area are passionate about it, yet people from outside often got the town badly wrong, he said.

"The image outside the town is entirely false," said Cllr Pemberton. "The image is that it is a down and out, industrial town with lots of social problems. The image that's portrayed is of drug addicts, things like that."

Cllr Pemberton called for Barrow council to hire a marketing manager.

Cllr Pemberton said: "We have a wonderful setting - beaches all around us, lovely golf courses, the Duddon Estuary looking out to the 19 peaks of the Lake District, and across the sea to the Isle of Man - it's wonderful.

"We have got to do more to celebrate what we have. For goodness sake, we are only 20 minutes from Windermere. You'd think we were a thousand miles away."

Cllr Pemberton, the Conservative member for Hawcoat, was speaking at a meeting of the council's cross-party executive.

Steve Solsby, an assistant director at the council, said initiatives such as the recent £1.9 million Barra Culture win would help put the town on the map.

"I agree with the point being made," said Mr Solsby. "Obviously the more we can do to market the area, the better. The people who live here love living here. I was born here and have been away and come back to this area four times. People who are from outside the area - that we want to attract in - once they do come here they realise how nice it is."

Cllr Hazel Edwards, leader of the opposition Conservatives, said the more the council linked up with neighbouring economic partners such as South Lakeland and Lancaster, the stronger the town's voice.

"In Barrow, we naturally look towards Lancashire. We are Lancastrians, not Cumbrians," said Cllr Edwards.

Cllr Kevin Hamilton, Barrow's mayor, said he had 'never stopped' regarding himself as Lancastrian.