PASSENGERS who are fed up of "getting soaked" while they wait for trams at Cleveleys are to have their problem put before Blackpool Borough Council this month.

Anchorsholme Ward's Lib Dem Councillor Jon Bamborough has received so many complaints about the lack of tram shelters in Victoria Square that he plans to ask at the next full council meeting if any meetings are planned to sort out funding for tram shelters in the area.

Coun Bamborough said: "Many residents have contacted us to complain about the lack of bus and tram shelters in Anchorsholme and Norbreck.

"There is also great concern about the tram shelters at Cleveleys which have recently been demolished but not replaced. People are fed up of getting soaked when it rains."

He said it was unclear who is responsible for the new Victoria Square shelters.

"It's complicated. Apparently Blackpool Council owns the land, but the tramway system is operated by Blackpool Transport which is a private company. In addition, the area in question falls within the limits of Wyre Borough Council and Blackpool Council can't spend money on projects outside the borough.

"There may be some money available from Lancashire County Council in the form of a grant, which is why I would like a meeting between everybody to sort it out," he said.

John Shaw, head of technical services for Blackpool Borough Council, confirmed he had discussed the matter with Coun Bamborough, but said the issue was currently at a standstill until the January 16 council meeting.

In answer to Coun Bamborough's question, he said he had already been in discussions with Wyre Borough Council and Lancashire County Council in an effort to resolve the problem.

And he confirmed that Blackpool council money could not be used to replace the Victoria Square tram shelters as they lie outside the town's boundaries.

Speaking about residents' complaints that there are also not enough bus shelters in the area, he said: "Generally we have been replacing the old bus shelter stock over the last five or six years through an agreement with advertising which funds them. With what is a fairly limited budget for shelters we do maintain and provide shelters where we can."