BURNLEY MP Peter Pike is urging the Government to provide Lancashire County Council with more money for bridge strengthening.

He is concerned that many key road bridges in East Lancashire are now crumbling.

And he has stepped up his efforts following news from county environment director Graham Harding that the county is having to raid the budget for road maintenance in order to carry out urgent bridge strengthening schemes such as work on Green Brook Bridge next to Perseverance Mill in Padiha,.

Mr Harding told Labour back-bencher Mr Pike: "Whilst this helps in the short term, this is not a long term option because road maintenance is also seriously under-funded."

Mr Harding said that although this year's £800,000 allocation for bridge strengthening is double the average of the last two years, there is only one major scheme it could go ahead with - Newchurch road bridge in Rawtenstall - without shifting cash from the road maintenance budget.

Mr Pike said: "I will continue to press the government for more money for bridge strengthening.

"There are a lot of bridges with problems that need to be tackled and tackled quickly."

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