PROTESTERS behind a long-standing campaign to improve safety on a road which has claimed the lives of two children in the past five years today welcomed new plans to light the carriageway.

They said: "This goes 80 per cent of the way."

Lancashire County Council have revealed a number of options to improve the A682 Rawtenstall to Edenfield by-pass from its junction with the A56, which links the M66 to East Lancashire.

The busy, unlit stretch of road to Queen's Square roundabout, Rawtenstall, is regularly crossed by pedestrians.

Today the father of a 12-year-old boy who died on the unlit part of the by-pass said: "Lights would be good but motorists must now do their bit and slow down."

Bob Laughland's son Simon died in November ,1997, while he was crossing with his older brother Andrew, now 19.

In March this year, 11-year-old Emmanuel McConnell died after he was struck by two vehicles while crossing the same stretch of road.

Head of traffic and safety at Lancashire County Council Terry Carter said the preference was to light the stretch.

He is also calling on Rossendale Council to look into reducing the number of crossing points on the road.

Currently there are four footpaths, but Mr Carter advises that an officer should be delegated to look at them.

Since Simon's death Mr Laughland, of Hillside Road, Haslingden, said the family had learned to cope with their loss.

"It is a shame a couple of children have had to die in the last five years to get some action on this road but if anything comes out of it, hopefully it will never happen again.

"Lights go 80 per cent of the way to making it safe but children still need to realise how quickly cars are going.

"I would encourage the council to pursue getting the speed limit reduced to 50mph to give motorists better reaction time before they get to the crossings.

"I still think people should slow down on that stretch and I am concerned that with the lights continuing people may maintain their speed on to the bypass. where they might otherwise have slowed down."

The county council looked into six option,s including reducing the speed on that stretch to 50mph, but Mr Carter said that would not be recommended as a stand alone measure and was unlikely to be supported by the police without being accompanied by another measure.

Mr Laughland welcomed the idea the number of footpaths might be reduced and urged the council to look at replacing road crossings with footbridges.

Mr Carter also looked at providing footbridges for the four points at a cost of at least £1.2million.

He said: "They could be reduced to two bridges at a cost of £590,000 if the three eastern crossing points were combined."

A report will be discussed at Monday's Rossendale Council's development and environmental services committee.