THE plan for a permanent life-size statue of Alice Nutter to mark the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trials is a good one.

Alice and her fellow dabblers in herbal remedies were hanged for behaviour that, at worst, was eccentric.

The fact that they didn’t get on well with their neighbours wouldn’t even warrant an ASBO today.

Yes, their fate is not the proudest moment in East Lancashire’s history.

But the story does provide a fascinating glimpse of what 17th century life was like in villages at the foot of Pendle Hill.

In the United States, the city of Salem, Massachusetts, has three museums and a host of other tourist attractions dedicated to its own witch trials which took place about 80 years after Alice and nine other women were executed at Lancaster.

No-one would want the district of Pendle to be turned into some kind of witch theme park.

But the trials, like so many other events in the rich tapestry of England’s past, could and should be cleverly marketed to bring plenty of foreign tourists into the area with money to spend.

It’s a great opportunity and one we’ve been slow to maximise.