A ROW has erupted after it emerged that a helicopter used for an environment project was brought in from Portugal...by road.

The chopper dropped bundles of heather on moorland above Oldham to help breathe new life into hills ravaged by the Industrial Revolution.

But Natural England and United Utilities, who commissioned the project, were accused of double standards after details of the helicopter's journey were disclosed.

The M.E.N. has found that although the firm which supplied it is English, it used a helicopter brought in from Portugal. Oxfordshire firm Heli Lift was chosen after the sizeable contract was put out to tender.

Another firm that bid for the project, Pennine Helicopters, is from Saddleworth - very close to where the heather was drop ped. Its operations manager Julia Ruddy called the decision `absolutely disgusting'.

She said: "I think they were chosen because the helicopter brought in from Portugal can lift heavier weights than ours.

"But we are a local company and could have done the job.

"It's supposed to be an environmentally-friendly project, so to bring a machine from Southern Europe beggars belief."

She added: "When there are fires above the reservoirs, they will expect us to drop everything to help out. But if we don't get jobs like this in the winter, it makes it hard for us to survive into the summer."

Sean Robinson, from United Utilities, denied that the helicopter was driven in specifically, adding: "The tendering was fair and open and based on merit."

Stuart Ring, from Heli Lift, said the chopper was helping Portuguese fire crews for three months to maximise its use.

He added: "They are expensive machines and we have to utilise them as best we can."

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