LANCASHIRE County and Blackburn with Darwen borough councils have been invited to bid for a share of £490million to improve their roads.

The grants, which will be for schemes across England from 2018 to 2020, is designed to tackle congestion and provide upgrades to local roads to improve journey times.

Bids are encouraged for a wide variety of schemes including making use of technology and by opening up the data held by local councils.

The pot of money is from the National Productivity Investment Fund, which is providing £1.3billion to enhance transport links to boost growth.

Transport minister Andrew Jones said: “We are investing record amounts on our roads – spending more than £23b on providing better journeys for motorists.

“We are also committing a further £1.3 billion up to 2020 to cut congestion and provide important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future.

“This money will allow councils to further improve their roads, targeted at areas which need it most.”

A previous £185m scheme helped to finance improved access to the M65 near Blackburn.