A NOTORIOUS road in East Lancashire is among the top ten accident blackspots in the country.

After the biggest study of its kind, the AA identified the country's worst roads in a bid to slash the number of accidents.

The AA-led European Road Assessment Programme gave star-ratings to 800 UK roads.

Five of the most dangerous roads are in the North West.

The worst in Lancashire is the A682 between Nelson and Gisburn, which came ninth on the list, and has seen a number of deaths over the years. The last death was in December.

After the inquest of a Reedley man, who died on the stretch last May, Lancashire police called for tighter safety measures including the extension of the 30mph limit and the double white line system.

And in September a warning was issued about the dangers of powerful motorbikes -- despite the Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Audit revealing that road deaths in the Ribble Valley had fallen from 13 to two from 1998 -- 2001.

Today a councillor who represents Gisburn called on motorists to help prevent accidents. And police said they have worked hard to bring down the damning number of incidents.

Coun Richard Sherras said: "There have been a lot of motorcyclists killed on that road. Police have maintained a high-visibility approach, especially at weekends, and have done their best. Motorists need to slow down on that stretch and not to overtake. It's down to the drivers to exercise some common sense."

Sergeant Stuart Isherwood, of the Accrington Road Policing Unit, added: "The A682 has been a problem for us and there have been a lot of casualties there.

"But we are working together with Lancashire County Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council and other partnerships to bring the numbers down.

"There has been engineering work carried out on the stretch and more signs to improve safety. There were some casualties last year but we are making it better."

The Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Audit revealed that the stretch of road, along with the A59 in Clitheroe, saw the number of fatalities reduced from four in 1998 to none in 2000.

But an increase in the number of weekend and leisure bikers using quiet country roads in the area prompted a safety warning.

The report stated: "There does, however, continue to be a concern over the activities of motorcyclists and collisions involving them, which are often serious or fatal.

"As a consequence, and due to the apparent lack of regard for their own safety and other road users, there continues to be a high profile road safety operation to tackle the problem."

It went on to add that the A682 had seen an increase in the levels of police patrols and in the use of video speed equipment to help further reduce road casualties.