THE final decision to axe a stretch of lights along the M65 has been condemned as ‘madness’ by campaigners in East Lancashire.

Controversial proposals to uproot dozens of lampposts between junctions 10 and 14 have been passed by a Lancashire County Council watchdog, despite repeated safety concerns.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The partner of one M65 crash victim, who died on an unlit stretch, has asked ‘what price can you put on a life?’ and demanded a rethink.

And the heartbroken brother of a father-of-four, who also lost his life, believes he would not have died if the lights on that part of the motorway had not already been axed.

The Lancashire Telegraph launched its Turn The Lights On campaign last November following concerns about the situation and the newspaper’s stance received widespread support.

Lancashire Police is also opposed to the move, which is being undertaken as the county council plans next year to replace the central reservation with a concrete barrier and at the same time remove the lighting columns.

Tomorrow (Fri) Coun John Fillis, highways and transportation cabinet member, is set to rubberstamp the proposal after the county’s executive scrutiny committee raised no concerns.

The bill for the work is expected to be £4.3million, an increase from £2.64million, after road engineers realised more extensive preparatory works would be needed, including upgrades to the hard shoulder and repairs to communication and drainage systems.

The work comes despite Blackburn coroner Michael Singleton voicing his concerns regarding the switching off of another stretch of lights, between junctions seven and 10, in the wake of the death of Mark Burgess last November.

Road users smashed into debris left on the motorway after Mr Burgess crashed near junction eight.

The Highways Agency switched off the lights between junction seven and Burnley in 2011, stating the move was for ecological reasons not to save money.

It is estimated that switching off the lights between Burnley and Colne will save around £10,000 annually.

Mr Burgess’s partner, Kirsty Tipping, from Abbey Village, said: “They should be repairing the lights they have and putting up more - not taking these down.

“The report which the coroner made to the Highways Agency has obviously made no difference. There are clearly going to be more accidents if this takes place - how can you put a price on people’s lives?”

Best friends Mohammed Iqbal, 48, and Mazafer Iqbal, 47, from Burnley and Brierfield respectively, lost their lives in July when their Peugeot 106 was involved in a collision at around 2.15am, between junctions nine and 10.

Last night Mohammed’s brother Nasir said: “Even the police who have investigated the crash have said that if the lights had been on then this accident would never have happened.

“How can they justify what they are doing now? It was a very dark patch, where they were driving, and this is what happened.

“It is only £10,000 a year that they are saving, not millions. Already two fathers with young children have passed away.”

Coun Joe Cooney, leader of Pendle Council, said: “This is madness. Talking away the lighting columns, meaning they cannot be switched back on, is lunacy. It will just mean more heartache for motorists on a very busy section of motorway.”

Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson said: “Removing these columns means the lights cannot be switched back on.

“The original estimate of £2.64million to take them away and put in a concrete central island has now nearly doubled. This is money that could be used to keep the lights on.

“This is a dangerous and busy section or urban motorway where we need these lights as recent accidents have shown.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “I think they should reconsider this decision. There is no doubt that driving along motorways in the dark is significantly more dangerous than when they are lit.

“I think the county council need to spell out in detail both the exact costs of keeping the lighting columns and the costs of extra accidents caused by the lack of lighting on that section of the M65.”

Steve Browne, the county council’s interim environment director, told councillors that of the three accidents reported between midnight and 5am, between November 2011 and November 2013,two were caused by flooding and a third by ‘aggressive driving’.

And an analysis of the stretch from junction one to 10, for two years before lights were switched off, showed 11 collisions, compared to three between junctions 10 and 14, for the two years after the switch-off.

Mr Browne said that the only other option, apart from carrying out the upgrade, would be to declassify the four junctions, so it would no longer be a motorway.