LANCASTER MP Hilton Dawson this week met with Western Bypass supporters this week in a bid to persuade them to drop their support for the road.

Mr Dawson is calling on Lancashire county council to bid for a multi-million pound public transport package instead of the controversial road.

He said: "It is imperative that the thoroughly decent and public spirited people who have worked so energetically for a Western Bypass now face the reality that their road is unsustainable and will never be built.

"If a road between the M6 and Heysham is necessary the only realistic option is a Northern Bypass.However it is essential that any major bid for transport improvements does not immediately leap to a road building solution but identifies a whole range of sustainable answers to the problems of poor public transport, school and commuter traffic.

"The right bid could transform our city, making it a much more attractive place to live, visit and do business. The wrong one will condemn us to many more years of congestion and pollution."