TRAFFIC in Darwen is to be directed up Church Bank Street to stop drivers using Bridge Street as a 'rat run'.

But the new regulations will be experimental only to allow for planners to assess their impact.

Under the changes, the only traffic using Bridge Street would be the occasional delivery vehicle or disabled drivers.

The proposals include one-way access from The Circus end of Bridge Street until halfway, and one-way access from Hardman Way until halfway, with both sets of traffic turning along Church Bank Street.

There would also be a disabled parking bay at the top of Bridge Street above Helliwells shoe repairs.

Although traders in the street agreed something had to be done to stop drivers using the pedestrianised area as a short-cut, a letter and petition was sent to Blackburn with Darwen Council by the local traders' association.

It pointed out that shopkeepers did not oppose the proposals in principle but would like to see them implemented on an experimental basis so they could be altered quickly if any problems arose.

There were also two letters of objection from road users who said the proposals would make the road unsafe for the elderly and disabled.

It also pointed out that Church Bank Street was frequently blocked by delivery vehicles visiting the nearby supermarket.