Work begins on 'danger' road that connects Hapton and Rising Bridge

The Accrington Bypass A56 stretch of road has been the cause of concern after becoming rutted in places.

Councillors implored authorities to improve the surface of the road from junction eight of the M65 to the Rising Bridge roundabout.

And now Highways England has heeded the call and have started resurfacing sections of the road.

Cllr Tony Dobson, who represents the Barnfield ward on Hyndburn Council, said part of the road goes through his ward, and jwas amongst those who campaigned for action to be taken.

He said: "It's something that I've had a lot of discussions with local residents about.

"Something needed to be done about the road or someone is going to be killed.

"There's pot holes which are a problem.

"There's problems which cause water to build up on the road, it's like a slip stream at times.

"Sooner or later there will be an accident and we will be saying why didn't we do something sooner.

"But there are people making those calls now."

He received particular concerns about the section where Sandy Lane crosses the carriage way and said the concerns have been going on 'for a number of years.

Cllr Paul Cox, deputy leader of Hyndburn Council, said: "I've had a few grumblings from residents about the quality of the road in general.

"It's because of the state of the road.

"I'd say all of the roads looked after by Highways England could do with a bit of an improvement.

"People have came to me how the road surface is quite bad in some places, it's caused quite a fuss.

"It's unsafe to drive on."

A spokesperson for Highways England said: “We are aware of drivers’ concerns about the condition of the A56 between the M65 and Rising Bridge roundabout, and have already started resurfacing sections of the road.

"This work will continue during the next few weeks, with some overnight road closures in place, and we expect drivers to be able to experience smoother journeys along the route from early August.”