DRIVERS were today facing four months of hold-ups in Blackburn as work began on the latest phase of town centre regeneration.

The work to improve Darwen Street started yesterday as contractors put the finishing touches to the £2million transformation of neighbouring Church Street.

The £400,000 Darwen Street project will involve re-surfacing the road and pavements and the creation of new short-stay parking.

A landscaping feature will be created in the middle of the junction between Mincing Lane and Darwen Street.

Work is expected to be completed in September, and throughout the works Darwen Street will be reduced from two lanes of traffic to one. A council spokesman said: "The work is taking place at first between Church Street and Jubilee Street. The road will also be realigned. Because it will be reduced to a single lane, we expect traffic queues and delays to result.

"Temporary signals will operate on the street and non-essential through traffic will be encouraged to used the orbital route."

Traders have been calling for work to start on Darwen Street for several years, claiming the road's decline has led to many shops pulling out.

Ronnie O'Keeffe, president of the town's chamber of trade, welcomed the news that work will start.

And Coun Alan Cottam, the opposition spokesman for regeneration, said: "It is an inevitable step in the cause of progress.

"There is a lot less traffic using Darwen Street than before but I do think it would have been more sensible to complete the orbital route first rather than just tell people to use the bits which have been completed."

Work on Church Street had to take place before Darwen Street because the pedestrianisation project was funded by European money and had it been delayed any longer, the money would have had to go back.

The money for the completion of the orbital route was only announced last year, after work on Church Street had started.

But Darwen Street isn't the only area where drivers can expect disruption over the summer.

At the start of June, work is to begin on linking Barbara Castle Way to Montague Street as part of the town's orbital route.

And work will also be carried out in Feilden Street and Montague Street by United Utilities. The firm is laying new mains from May 25 until July 17.

Parts of both roads will be closed, with diversions put in place. Delays are being expected by the council.

But work on relaying the footpaths and carriageway around Redlam -- which feeds into Preston Old Road -- is due to end on Friday.