A COUNCILLOR has proposed to ask the county authority for a 20mph speed limit on all of Burnley's residential streets.

At the meeting at Burnley Town Hall on Thursday night, Councillor Martin Smith will ask the borough council to support the plan, which he said would reduce the risk of fatal accidents for children.

But Lancashire County Council's roads boss, councillor Tony Martin, has accused Burnley of having so little responsibility for the town that it felt the need to muscle in on county issues.

He said there were no plans to introduce the scheme, which would mean imposing the limit on all residential streets except main routes to be chosen by Burnley Council.

Police guidelines mean that all 20mph zones have to be "self-enforcing", meaning speed bumps and chicanes to force drivers to hit the brake, and Coun Martin said any such scheme throughout the town would be expensive and impractical.

He said: "Burnley Council no longer has any responsibility for the highways so I don't know why they are discussing this. It seems they no longer have anything to be responsible for any more so they have to talk about what we are responsible for instead.

"If we decided to start looking at the draft housing plan and tell them to build houses here, there and everywhere, then they would rightly tell us it was nothing to do with us because we're not the housing authority.

"We do introduce 20mph schemes, but we prefer to do it on the basis of where it is actually needed most and will have the best effect."

Coun Smith's plan would also mean limits imposed near schools and play areas, even if they are on a main road.

All borough authorities in Lancashire administered most of their own roads under a long-term agreement with the county council until 2005, when Lancashire ended the agreement, sparking protest from both Burnley Council and Pendle Council.