A "THINK BIG" scheme by county planners could give Burnley its long-awaited town-centre ring road and extend the planned Colne-Foulridge by-pass beyond Earby.

For, according to highways chiefs, enlarging the by-pass scheme could open it up to swift private investment and also give Burnley the congestion-beating bonus of the Westgate link which has been held up for years for lack of public funding.

Highways councillors should go for it - for this will uncork two bottlenecks. Moreover, an improved road system at the eastern end of the M65 would create still better communications for East Lancashire.

And as we see the extension of the M65 westwards bringing in new businesses and jobs, this "think big" roads plan to the east could increase the economic gain as well as ending the jams.

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