THE man in charge of roads in Darwen said new traffic lights will not be switched off, despite calls from business owners in the town.

Brian Bailey, Blackburn with Darwen Council director of regeneration, was called on to turn off the traffic lights on the A666 at Hollins Grove during a 'crisis meeting' arranged by the town's MP Jake Berry.

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But Mr Bailey refused, claiming the lights were part of a long-term strategy to manage increasing traffic levels along Darwen's main road.

It came just a day after regeneration chief Coun Maureen Bateson promised colleagues during a borough council forum that the lights will be scrapped if problems continue after the full Pennine Reach scheme is finished.

Speaking at the Town Hall, Coun Bateson said: "We will not know the effect until the whole scheme is completed “When it is finished we will look again at the lights and if necessary make changes."

But during the meeting at Kenley Warehousing and Distribution in Hilton Street, following shouts of 'turn them off' from a number of attendees at the meeting, Mr Bailey said: "The traffic has always been bad on the A666.

"The volume of traffic doubles every four years so it is going to become an increasingly bad bottleneck.

"I have to plan for the long term. We all recognise something needs to be done about it and if this does not happen we will be choked off."

A number of business owners and residents voiced their concerns in a meeting that lasted an hour.

Ged Johnson, from Johnson's Swimming School in Blackburn Road, said: "I am getting a lot of negative feedback from customers.

"It is becoming more difficult for people to get through town."

Darwen businessman Phil Ainsworth said: "We have only got one van and that goes out every morning and it gets stuck every morning.

"There was never a problem in the first place and there was no need for the traffic lights."

Hollins Grove shop owner Shopna Hussain said: "It is just a nightmare.

"We are on the verge of closing and we have been there about eight years.

"Every customer is complaining because there is nowhere to park."

WEC director Wayne Wild said: "It was bad 10 years ago and I think these lights are a bit of a red herring.

"You can do whatever you want with the lights, it will not make a difference. The problem is the volume of traffic."

Council leader Coun Kate Hollern said: "In 20 years of being a councillor I have heard people saying it is the road to hell.

"What we need to do is find a solution.

"We will get a map and call another meeting to see what we can do."