WORK has begun on a £600,000 scheme to repair a borough’s pot-hole filled roads.

The cash is being spent on Hyndburn’s roads by Lancashire County Council to boost the number of road improvements completed in the borough and tops up the amount being spent on roads in the area to almost £4million this financial year.

The move comes after residents and borough councillor Paul Barton complained that huge potholes in Belfield Road and the surrounding area of Accrington was damaging cars and causing huge puddles of mud to splash on to houses and passers-by.

Carriageway resurfacing and kerbing repairs will now be completed in 16 streets across Hyndburn, including Belfield Road, with work in seven of the areas beginning this month.

County councillors on the Lancashire Local Hyndburn committee have allocated the funds to target problem areas and work has now begun on replacing kerbs, resurfacing roads and installing new interactive safety signs.

Engineers will start the first jobs today and aim to have all the projects completed by April, the end of the financial year.

The work also includes anti-skid surfacing at Dill Hall Lane, Church and the installation of bollards and fencing to protect footways between Kent Drive and St Oswald’s Close in Oswaldtwistle and between Lindadale Close and Broadfield in Accrington.

The cash will also go towards a programme of school “keep clear” markings at various sites across the borough and interactive signs at Willows Lane, Accrington and Harwood Lane in Great Harwood.

Chairman of Lancashire Local Hyndburn Coun Dorothy Westell said: “I am very excited to see that the decisions we made towards the end of last year are now being turned into improvements on the streets.

"The extra money the county council has given means that almost £4million worth of works will be done this financial year – that kind of investment can do a lot of good for the area.”

Resurfacing work is expected to be completed this month in Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, Lime Road, Accrington, Dorset Drive, Knuzden, Chester Street and Stevenson Street East, Accrington and in Baxenden at Warmden Ave, Sycamore Grove, Burns Drive and Coleridge Drive and Bayley Street in Clayton-le-Moors.

Work to be completed by April also includes Thorneyholme Road, Accrington, Sparth Road, Clayton le Moors and Cattle Street and Bridge Street in Great Harwood.