GREEN campaigners opposed to a multi-million pound by-pass scheme in Pendle have criticised highways officials for not revealing details of a Traffic survey.

Roadside interviews with drivers were carried out by Lancashire County Council staff early last year to determine traffic flows in and around Colne. Drivers were asked where they had come from and were going.

Campaigners trying to put the brakes on proposals for a by-pass between Colne and Thornton-in-Craven said the study cast light on traffic movements in the area.

They claim the majority of traffic along North Valley Road and other traffic-blighted areas is mainly local and a by-pass would do little to relieve the nightmare for residents.

Matt Gordon of Transport 2000, one of the anti by-pass pressure groups, said: "We know highways officials are pressed for time but the survey was completed months ago. As members of the public we have asked repeatedly for the findings of this survey to be made public." He added: "We can only conclude that the survey findings fail to support the county council's road proposals or they would have published them earlier."

Mr Gordon said the survey results should have been made available before a public consultation on the proposals was held. That consultation ended on Monday.

County council press officer Martin Crabtree said: "We have drafted a letter to Mr Gordon with the results of the survey and this will be sent shortly. We have made a lot of information available to the public through a series of exhibitions, giving traffic flow figures etcetera.

"People have been able to ask questions of the officers at the exhibitions and we have made everything available that we felt was relevant. Anything not made available as a matter of course is available on request."

The proposed by-pass is among four major schemes being considered by the county council, only one of which will get the green light. The road would run parallel to the existing A56 and take traffic around Colne, Foulridge, Kelbrook, Earby and Thornton-in-Craven.

Traffic through Colne has increased since the M65 motorway was extended westwards past Blackburn to the M6.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.