DRIVERS face a wait of up to 15 years before a planned bypass around several congested villages finally opens, the man in charge of Lancashire's roads warned today.

County Councillor Tony Martin revealed his fears as it emerged that East Lancashire faces a funding fight against Manchester's bid for a Metrolink tram extension and Liverpool's calls for a new Mersey crossing.

The North West Regional Assembly -- the un-elected body made up of North West councils -- has been given the power to draw up a list of 'priority' schemes for road improvement schemes.

Lancashire already had a list of three schemes prioritised for Government funding: The Heysham-M6 link was top of the list, followed by a road improvement project in Ormskirk and the £65million bypass scheme around Colne, Earby, Kelbrook and Foulridge on equal footing.

The county council had previously suggested work on an A56 bypass could begin by 2011.

Currently, traffic at the end of M65 heading towards Yorkshire has to travel through the centre of communities on narrow roads -- creating constant congestion for residents and commuters.

Government funding was promised for the Heysham scheme, while an accepted Whitehall principle that each area got at least one 'major' scheme every five years meant that work could have begun within seven years.

But now a Government decision to place all 'major' road scheme funding into one pot for the North West means Lancashire County Council has to lobby for money for the Heysham, Ormskirk and East Lancashire plans.

Coun Martin said: "We now have to lobby for money for all schemes. We have all the relevant approvals for the Heysham scheme so a lot of time is being spent on making sure that is spot on.

"The Ormskirk scheme has a lot of support already and MPs are ready to fight on our behalf but there are still objectors to any bypass around the A56 villages, so we need to iron those out first.

"Basically, we're now competing against Manchester which wants money for a Metrolink extension and Merseyside which wants a new way across the Mersey. We have to try our best to make sure we're now drowned out by either, but I think it will be 15 years before we see anything like an A56 bypass, unless there is a big change in spending."

The Assemby has £117million a year to spend, and Coun Martin said: "My hope is that they will overlook the massive projects because they are too expensive."

One proposed route for the A56 bypass was along part of the old Colne-Skipton railway, which the SELRAP action group is fighting to get re-opened.

West Craven county councillor David Whipp said: "We need to be pushing for a rail link which would provide a link between Leeds and Manchester, via East Lancashire.

"Something does need to be done about the roads, and a bypass is one answer. My concern is that we'll be drowned out by Manchester and Liverpool now, whereas before we'd at least have been able to say to Government that the money was due to us."

However, the bypass plan has widespread support from the business community and among residents.

A spokesman for Pendle Council said: "It would help considerably in attracting companies which could create hundreds of jobs and have an affect on the local economy of several millions of pounds each year."

Pendle Lord Tony Greaves said: "I am very dubious about any decision taken by the North West Assembly.

"The Government seem committed to taking decisions at that body, away from the local councils

"We want the Government to provide the money for this road. We have had enough problems with Lancashire County Council downgrading it without the North West Assembly deciding that trams in Manchester and Liverpool are more important.

"I shall continue to campaign to make sure that the correct decisions are made not just for people in Burnley and Pendle but in East Lancashire as a whole and that this road goes ahead."

Karen Wilkinson, of Alma Avenue, Foulridge, has lived in the village for 38 years.

She said: "I have to sit on my Avenue for up to five minutes some mornings trying to get out. It's 30mph through the village and they don't stick to the speed limit. They come out of a bend on to the straight and the cars fly through, the next thing you know there's a car in your boot. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents."

But another business expressed caution about the bypass plans.

Mark Barlow, franchise manager for David Fishwick Van and Minibus Sales, Byron Road, Colne said: "It might affect us in an adverse way. We get a lot of passing traffic and being a van sales business there are a lot of passing vans. If there was a bypass we might not get that."