RESIDENTS in Altham, Clayton-le-Moors and Huncoat are re-launching a campaign to take lorries off their roads.

They have complained for years about trucks using unsuitable roads such as Bolton Avenue, Whalley Road and Enfield Road to get to Whinney Hill tip and the nearby brickworks.

Last year Lancashire County Council revealed plans for a lorries-only by-pass if plans for its proposed waste treatment plant on the former Huncoat power station site came off.

Residents felt this would be answer to all their problems.

The application was deferred by the county council last month amid concerns raised by residents and councillors that the development will have to be accessed by a road which cuts through green belt land around the village.

But now they fear that it will take years before the link road is built and that if the waste treatment plant, due to be operaing by 2011, is built first it will add to their traffic misery.

So they have reformed their campaign group REACH (Residents of Enfield, Altham, Clayton and Huncoat) to put pressure on county hall get the link road plans in place now.

REACH chairman Geoff Wheatman said: "A few months back we thought we had achieved what we set out for.

"But at the recent meeting where the waste plant plans were deferred for further consideration it was stated that if the facility was up and running before the link road, surplus material would be taken to the tip via Burnley Road and Bolton Avenue.

"This would mean about 54 extra vehicle movements on top of the problems we already have."

He said: "It is going to take around five years to build the waste plant and we are concerned that they won't look seriously at the link road until then.

"But the traffic problems continue and we want to put pressure back on the county council to get the link road plans underway."

The group also wants county hall to push for junction eight of the M65 to be modified to provide access to the proposed waste plant and the tip, which is currently being considered by the Highways Agency at the request of the roads minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman.

A spokesman from the county council said the link road to Whinney Hill would be an additional phase in the waste treatment plant plans and would be the subject of a separate planning application.

REACH is launching a new website.