Councillor Mohammed Iqbal MBE, Leader of Pendle Council. Eleven mosques in Pendle have paused congregational prayers in a bid to reduce the possible spread of the new Covid variant. This week Lancashire’s Directors of Public Health wrote to places of worship urging them to close during lockdown to protect communities. Their request has been endorsed by the Lancashire Faith and Community Cohesion Group. Councillor Mohammed Iqbal MBE, Leader of Pendle Council, said:“We support this move as we’re seeing a growing number cases in Pendle. “There are very worrying increases in hospital Covid cases, as well as, sadly, more people dying from this deadly virus. We must do all we can to protect people and support the NHS.