RESIDENTS in a rural village have called on police and council bosses to stop commuters using it as a rat run.

Villagers in Belthorn say motorists coming into Blackburn from Haslingden are cutting through the village to jump the long queues of traffic that build up on the Grane Road during morning rush hour.

And they claim they are being trapped in the village as cars then queue to get back on the Grane Road, making them late for work or late taking their children to school.

Today Lancashire County Council said that a ban on lorries on the Grane Road, which started on Monday, would ease the traffic congestion around Belthorn and urged residents with concerns to contact them.

Police said there was little they could do to stop traffic driving through the village, but said they would take action to enforce speed limits if they were being broken.

Mother-of-two Kim Keogh, a secretary at Shadsworth Primary School, has lived on Rydal Mount, Belthorn for more than 20 years.

She said: "From our house you can see the traffic on the Grane Road starting to slow down near the Pack Horse (restaurant).

"To jump the queue they are driving in at the top of Belthorn near the Grey Mare and using the village as a rat run.

"It takes me almost ten minutes just to get out of my own village in the morning and I have been late for work a few times. I am also concerned that somebody will get knocked down. If people are using it as a shortcut then they are driving at a faster speed than they would normally and that is dangerous."

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I have seen vans and small lorries coming through and I know it's nobody who lives in Belthorn it's people using it as a shortcut."

A county council spokesman said: "We are aware of the HGV ban on the Grane Road and this should ease some of the traffic congestion there.

"We have not been made aware of any specific problems but we would urge any residents in Belthorn with concerns to contact us."

Inspector Andrea Bradbury, geographic inspector for Darwen, which polices Belthorn, said anyone aware of any traffic problems in the village should call 01254 353764.