CAMPAIGNERS want an inquiry reopened into the sinking of the trawler Gaul, in which an East Lancashire man died.

There have been two separate inquiries into the 1974 sinking, but the latest, in 2004, was branded a "whitewash" by families of the 34 men who died.

Now the families have been joined in their bid to reopen the case by the European Agency for Safety at Sea.

Sheila Doone, 64, of Sackville Street, Brierfield, lost her husband John in the tragedy.

The Gaul sank in the Barents Sea off Norway in February 1974.

Mrs Doone said: "We know what we were told in that last report was a load of rubbish, it was the biggest whitewash ever.

"All we want is the truth and we know that we haven't been given that yet."

She said she wanted a full investigation into claims that a design fault in the trawler, which was only two years old when it sank, could have been responsible for the incident.

She also wants claims that it may have been deliberately sunk by Russians or pulled down by a submarine looked at again.

An inquiry just a few months after the ship went down concluded that the Hull-based trawler was "overwhelmed by mountainous seas".

As there was no distress signal and the wreck was not found for more than 20 years, a range of theories sprang up about possible reasons why the Gaul sank.

The wreck was located in 1997 and in 1999 Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott ordered the reopening of the inquiry.

That hearing was completed by Mr Justice Steel in December 2004 and concluded that the ship sank because its hold became flooded during a storm.

He said the probable cause of this was water entering the deck through the "duff and offal chutes" which had been left open - pointing the finger at human error of the sailors.

Mrs Doone, whose husband John, 34, was a radio operator on the trawler, added: "They have never listened to the relatives and have always dismissed our concerns.

"I don't think we will ever give up on this.

"The report blamed the men on board but I don't think that was fair."

Anders Bjrkman, from the European Agency for Safety at Sea said he wanted the case investigated further.

He said: "We support the families 100 per cent to have the case further clarified.

"We know it is very difficult but there are many questions that remain unanswered."

A government spokesman said they would consider any new evidence and then judge whether a further inquiry was necessary.