MOMENTUM is building in a campaign to lobby the Government for extra cash to build the A56 villages bypass.

Earlier this month the scheme failed to make it into Lancashire County Council's five year Local Transport Plan.

Councillors chose a Heysham-M6 link as their top priority, saying the A56 bypass from Colne past Foulridge, Kelbrook, Sough, Earby and Thornton-in-Craven was a close second.

Undeterred, local councillors, supported by colleagues at County Hall, are now pressing for extra cash from the Government to allow the county to pursue two schemes instead of just one.

West Craven county councillor David Whipp said the current system allowed one major scheme for each authority, no matter how big or small. He added that was unfair for a big county like Lancashire, and there was a strong case for extra funding for an additional scheme.

He said there was a good case for the A56 bypass and strong support along the A56 corridor, where traffic levels continued to rise.

When Pendle Council held its annual meeting last Thursday, members backed an emergency motion to formally lobby the Government for extra cash for a second scheme, joining with the county council.

Coun Whipp said: "Pendle is slowly being strangled to death. We are trying to secure a change of heart from the Government. You can see how citizens of Lancashire are severely disadvantaged by these unfair rules. If we don't succeed we will have at least five or six more years of chaos and congestion on our roads."

Coun Doris Haigh, who lives next to the A56 in Earby, added: "Every part of those communities suffers through the environmental problems that increased traffic produces, and it's not going to get less."

Also joining the lobby is Pendle Partnership, the body tasked with managing Government cash allocated to help regenerate the area and its economy.

Partnership secretary Stephen Barnes said: "We are picking up the lobby in East Lancashire in a far more meaningful way than we have in the past."

o Regardless of whether the new bypass bid is successful, county councillors have agreed a £28,500 package of safety measures along the A56 from Foulridge to Kelbrook.

It has been the scene of 10 serious accidents, including four fatal ones, over the past five years, making it one of Pendle's most notorious stretches of road.

The new safety package will include improved signage, double white lines and central hatching to discourage drivers from overtaking. Sgt Eric Marshall, of the Pennine Division Road Policing Unit, based at Colne, said: "Any accident that happens on the A56 is usually a serious one because it has a 60mph limit and traffic is travelling quickly.

"Our main concern is reducing accidents and any measures to make that road safer are welcome."

The work is expected to be carried out this summer.

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