HIGHWAY bosses have given the go-ahead to improvements at four accident blackspots in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

The minor works are at sites which have witnessed 42 accidents over the past five years and are among the first eight of 71 schemes worth £1.3 million given the go-ahead in this year's county road safety programme.

Pendle will have £15,000 improvements to the Manchester Road/Lomeshaye Road junction in Nelson, where there have been 12 accidents, and £3,500 will be spent on the creation of a zebra crossing at Skipton Road, Colne, north of Oak Street. The remaining half cost of this project will be met by Pendle Council.

In Burnley, £32,000 will be spent in the spring on improvements to the pelican crossing area outside Sainsbury's in Church Street, where there have been 14 accidents in recent years. In Rossendale, a £31,000 late spring scheme will modify and improve the pelican crossing area at the A682 St Mary's Way, near Bank Street, Rawtenstall, where there have been 11 accidents over the past five years.

County highways chiefs say the 71 schemes selected for this year's programme will save over 131 road injury accidents during the first 12 months.

The approved schemes are among 400 submitted for possible inclusion in the programme.

Highways chairman Richard Toon said: "Unfortunately, government spending approvals will only permit 71 of the schemes considered to be included,

"We are aware that this will cause disappointments within local communities."

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