COUNTY council bosses are to look at ways of extending the M65 from Colne to Yorkshire to ease traffic congestion.

A £100,000 feasibility study is to be carried out by Lancashire County Council between 2012 and 2014.

But the decision to spend money on the study has been slammed as a 'complete waste of money' by councillors in Colne.

A county council report on local transport said: “The M65, which terminates just west of Colne, provides good road connections with Preston and, via the A56/M66, Manchester, but the sudden change from motorway to urban carriageway results in significant delay on the through route to Yorkshire and Leeds, and considerable congestion on the urban network within Colne.

“There is a longstanding proposal for a new road which bypasses Colne and the villages to the north (Foulridge and Earby).

“Removing through traffic would improve environmental conditions in the town and improve road links between Lancashire and Yorkshire.

“This same corridor is also subject to aspirations for a restored rail link between Colne and Skipton.”

The M65 to Yorkshire Corridor Study will look at possible solutions to traffic problems on the North Valley Road.

But Coun Tony Greaves said: “A scheme like this was abandoned years ago and will never reappear.

“It was considered totally impractical and to try to resurrect it is complete nonsense.

“If the Tories on the county council are spending £100,000 on this then it is a complete waste of money when services such as Colne recycling centre are being closed.”

The county council’s transport plan said the scale and cost of any potential scheme would rule out any detailed development work before 2014.