NOBODY needed to use the threatened telescope to see where Shadow Chancellor George Osborne was laying the blame on a Jodrell Bank visit.

The Tatton MP, who lives in Rainow, said the buck stopped with the Government over the funding crisis engulfing Macclesfield’s iconic eye to the sky.

And Mr Osborne, who met with observatory director Phil Diamond, offered full support to the Express’ campaign to save the site. After touring the facilities on Friday, he rounded on its classification as "low-priority" and blasted the plan to end £2.7 million a year of funding.

"It’s absolutely crazy that we are thinking about shutting down this world-class facility," he said.

"We’ve got a science budget we are increasing by hundreds of millions of pounds and here we have a site at the cutting edge of science and technology.

"The rest of the world are building telescopes and expanding the technology they have. We have already spent £8m on it and it is just sheer incompetence that from a massive budget we are still unable to fund it.

"Merlin (a network of telescopes of which Lovell at Jodrell Bank is the most important) is a landmark of the last 50 years and it can take us through the rest of the 21st century. To lose this would be a real blow to the region and to this area.

"The budget for the Science and Technology Facilities Council is rising by £573m over the next three years; we are talking about £2.5m a year."

In a letter to John Denham – Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills – Mr Osborne says: "The funding for Jodrell Bank should be found from within the existing science budget. It is vital this project remains in the region and is not lost to the nation as a whole."

With more than 70,000 visitors last year, the University of Manchester-owned site remains a huge tourist draw and generates valuable funds.

A final decision is not expected until late April at the earliest.

MACCLESFIELD is throwing its voice behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank.

Silk FM listeners have helped pen a song to highlight its plight and hope the result – Don’t Go Messing with our Telescope – will ensure the telescope’s future is written in the stars.

Set to be performed by The Astronomers – also known as the Silk FM presenters and news team – the group is now calling for support from Macclesfield’s schools to sing one of the four choruses.

The Silk FM team will be making their music this Sunday when they record the video for Don’t Go Messing With Our Telescope at Jodrell Bank.

Any schools interested in making the charts should contact Andy Bailey on 01625 268000.