FRUSTRATED motorists have once more been left fuming in queues of traffic on the A666 - all because of a mound of rubble.
Peak time drivers became stuck in huge traffic queues in and out of Darwen yesterday because rubble, dug up during a recent £1million water mains replacement project, was blocking one carriageway of Duckworth Street outside ICI.
Temporary traffic lights were in operation to direct motorists around the 30-yard obstruction as contractors completed resurfacing.
Blackburn with Darwen Council says the work should have finished by Friday, but North West Water says the agreement was that work would continue until Monday.
North West Water spokesman Suzanne Rigby today confirmed the mound had been left in place because the water mains work would have been slowed down had a wagon been brought in to shift the earth.
She said: "There has been a certain amount of unhappiness about this job.
"After extensive consultation with nearby residents and the council it was decided not to follow the usual procedure of taking the spoil away in wagons to make the job quicker."
Barry O'Connor, who works in the nearby Margaret's Cafe in Duckworth Street, said: "This is infuriating.
"It is annoying for the drivers who have to sit in the queues of traffic and it is annoying for traders and residents who have to put up with the noise."
The roadworks were the latest in a series which have plagued the A666 in both Darwen and Lower Darwen, creating traffic gridlock at peak times and earning the road the nickname "The Devil's Highway."
See OPINION
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article