ANGRY councillors are demanding that an official letter is sent to North West Water condemning the amount of time it has taken to carry out repairs on the A666.

And Liberal Democrats in Darwen want changes in the law which would see utility companies penalised if their work overran and caused massive disruptions to motorists

Councillors Paul Browne and David Foster are to ask a meeting of Blackburn with Darwen council on Thursday to authorise a protest letter about the long running saga of traffic delays, temporary traffic lights and roadworks on Darwen's main road.

In January, North West Water officials handed out postcards to drivers stuck in traffic queues during the rush hour giving assurances that the long term sewer replacement work would be completed by the end of February.

Darwen Labour party members organised their own protest when the postcards were being handed out.

North West Water's original plans - which would have caused minimum disruption to drivers - were hit by major difficulties.

In a motion to be put before councillors the Liberal Democrat duo have asked for a full investigation into the causes of the delays.

And they express concern at the lack of controls over utility companies when they disrupt highways.

In their motion, the councillors ask the council to write to the government requesting that rental charges be introduced on utility companies, forcing them to pay for the amount of times they disrupt traffic.

The Liberal Democrats have also asked for the council to write to the local government association to ask for its support in the campaign.

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