THE man who helped bring the first section of the M65 to East Lancashire has given his support to plans to widen the motorway to three lanes.

Brian Whittle, chief executive of Burnley Council from 1974 to 1993, believes widening the motorway would bring commercial, investment and environmental benefits to the area.

Mr Whittle, who lives in Pendle, sat through seven inquiries on the M65 with no fewer than six Secretaries of State for Transport and two Prime Ministers.

He was successful in getting the government to build the first stretch of the motorway between Rosegrove in Burnley and Lomeshaye at Nelson .

And he was also called to give evidence at the inquiry which led to the final link, connecting the motorway to the M6, which led to the route being extended through Blackburn and Darwen in the mid 1990s.

Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council are pushing the Government to fund expansion of the M65 into three lanes throughout the whole of its length.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw is also pursuing improvements to the M65 with the Department for Transport but the plans have already met opposition from green campaigners.

But Mr Whittle said: "I don't think the environmental argument works because at the minute there is a lot of pollution being caused by congestion at various points on the motorway.

"Also, if you look at at the land that was redeveloped and landscaped when the various sections of the motorway were built it has definitely been advantageous.

"From a business and industry point of view, we would not have had so much investment in the area had it not been for the motorway making it more accessible.

"These improvements will benefit the area even further.

"It will also cut down on all the bad congestion around Barrowford, at the end of the motorway and on some of the slip roads around Blackburn at rush-hour.

"It may even cut down on the number of accidents caused by traffic having to change from two lanes to three and then back to two lanes."

Currently, one stretch not to have three lanes is the newest part -- running from the M6 to Whitebirk in Blackburn -- which was opened in 1997, amid predictions it would be free-flowing for 15 years.

But just seven years down the line several stretches, particularly around the Shadsworth area of Blackburn, are gridlocked at rush hour.

And the Highways Agency reports suggest gridlock and serious accidents will be commonplace by 2012.

The Government is likely to listen to the councils' request as they are arguing for an expansion on economic grounds.

This would form part of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's 'Northern Way' initiative, which is meant to help close the north-south divide.

Infrastructure along the two-lane section, such as bridges, has been designed to cope with a third lane, if needed.