CYCLING routes around Burnley are to be improved as part of a £200,000 scheme.

The council is to fund the improvements to six different routes as part of a bid to get more people using their bikes.

Council bosses are now set to offer the work out to tender and hope to have a deal with a firm in place for work to start this year.

Winston Robinson, a senior engineer at Burnley Council, said: “The council is working in partnership with Sustrans, Connect 2 and Lancashire County Council to promote local access links, for cycling and walking, as a clean, healthy alternative to private and public vehicle transport.

“Considerable progress has been made to date with the completion of the Brun Valley access scheme last year, improvements and upgrades along the canal access corridor and the start of the Padiham Greenway.”

The new projects to benefit from the increased funding are £40,000 on an off-road access link from Sweetclough to Padiham Greenway, which has been partly funded by Lottery cash.

A £22,000 scheme to provide a 150 metre link from Brun Valley access way through Queens Park to the college in Ormerod Road is also to benefit.

The link will complete the off road access to the college building, which is to become an international girls college, from Eastern side of town.

An off-road route providing a 700 metre bridleway link from the Leeds-Liverpool canal to the new development on Pollard Moor, around junction nine of the M65, will cost £44,000.

Another scheme to benefit is the 900 metre footpath linking Towneley Park with Cliviger, which is to be upgraded to bridleway standard.

The canal tow path from Finsley Gate to Manchester Road will be surfaced at a cost of £22,000, and the path from Westgate to Ighten Road will also be done at £28,000.