A ROAD running underneath the River Lune would provide the perfect Heysham M6 link road - and be popular with residents too.

That's the belief of civil engineer John Jenkinson, from Morecambe.

And he has come up with a blueprint which would see a Lune underpass' at Lancaster Road, Snatchems - near The Golden Ball pub - as part of a new link to the motorway near Galgate.

Mr Jenkinson says a road under the river combined with a low-lying link to Galgate would overcome the problems of a monster' road and other ecological and environmental concerns which stopped the western route winning favour.

"If the ground conditions are right, this solution will work. It is environmentally and ecologically sound and from my experience I know it is feasible," says Mr Jenkinson.

"The northern road is a ludicrous idea. It is a waste of money because it will not solve the traffic problems but will affect so many people and villages.

"I have always thought that the western route was feasible, though obviously Lancashire County Council does not."

He says he came up with the idea after seeing plans for the proposed roads.

Last year he produced some detailed drawings of how his new road would be built and how it would look, which he has now sent to the Citizen.

"A road without a bridge across the River Lune is a waste of time. It simply will not alleviate the area's traffic problems - any road needs to go West," he says.

With 32 years work and an extensive array of dams and bridge schemes across the globe on his portfolio, Mr Jenkinson is no novice.

And he says the scheme is really quite simple' and would take just 18 months to complete.