THE WARS of the Roses are set to spark up again as North Yorkshire residents are bombarded with leaflets promoting Lancashire as a holiday hot-spot.

The Lancashire Tourism Partnership is sending out invitations to a quarter-of-a-million Yorkshire homes to lure locals and visitors to away from the county's tourist haunts and towards Blackpool, Lancaster and Morecambe.

And today the York Tourist Board bit back and said it was ready to do battle.

Anthony Goldsmith, chairman of the Lancashire Tourism Partnership, said: "Over the next two weeks, 250,000 Yorkshire households will receive invitations to visit Lancashire this spring, as part of a large-scale campaign by the Red Rose County to win over their northern neighbours."

"Lancashire - It's a real pleasure" boasts that "the warmest of welcomes awaits you in Lancashire" and offers Yorkshire people a choice of weekend packages, coastal resort breaks or short breaks in the countryside.

Mr Goldsmith added: "Yorkshire's population is a prime market for hotels and attractions in Lancashire, and it is hoped that this campaign will encourage many people to visit their neighbouring county for the first time."

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said she would be very surprised if the Lancashire rivals were able to capture York's natives and visitors.

She said: "There are far more things to do in North Yorkshire.

"If they are going to declare war on our locals and visitors then we will quite happily fight back with our own attractions.

"It's highly unlikely that we will venture over the border because Lancashire isn't a patch on Yorkshire!

"I'm confident that people in York have enough on their doorsteps."

Joanna Royle, head of strategic marketing at Yorkshire Tourist Board, said: "We are amused to learn that Lancashire is promoting itself as a short break destination which offers the warmest of welcomes.

The warmth of Yorkshire people is acknowledged across the nation with Yorkshire having been voted the most friendly region in the prestigious 1999 Group Travel Awards.

"We already know that Lancastrians love Yorkshire - over 1.6 million trips to Yorkshire are taken each year by residents of the North West lured by

Yorkshire's stunning countryside, spectacular coastline, vibrant historic cities and towns, and of course the Yorkshire welcome."