AN ACCIDENT-ridden East Lancashire road has been named Britain's most dangerous stretch of highway.

But Lancashire County Council today insisted it wasn't to blame for the accidents -- because most were taking place in Yorkshire.

Figures from the AA-led European Road Assessment Programme have placed the A682, between junction 13 of the M65 at Nelson and the A65 in Long Preston, North Yorkshire, at the top of a list of most dangerous roads.

It isn't the first time the road has figured in the list, but it has climbed to top spot for the first time.

According to the latest figures, the 24km stretch of road, which runs trhrough Barrowford and Blacko, is consistently the most dangerous road in the country.

There were 27 fatal and serious collisions between 1998 and 2000, and the same number from 2001-2003.

That equates to 266 fatal and serious accidents per billion vehicle kilometers on the route -- the like-for-like statistic the group uses to compare roads.

It is also third worst in the country for motorcycle collisions.

According to the figures, 26 per cent of accidents take place at junctions and 26 per cent involve head-on crashes.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The report only looks at fatal and serious accidents on rural roads.

"In Lancashire two-thirds of fatal and serious accidents happen on urban roads and the picture is similar in other parts of the UK. If the report had included all roads then the picture would be quite different.

"Fatal and serious accidents on the A682 have fallen on the Lancashire stretch from 23 in 1998/2000 to 17 in 2001/03. This is due to road safety engineering and speed enforcement work."

The Grane Road at Haslingden is also classed as a 'medium-high risk' as is the A671 through Rossendale and Burnley, along with the A6068 from Colne to Laneshawbridge.