TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling and northern powerhouse minister Jake Berry have been urged to extend the East Lancashire rail line and M65 across the Pennines.

North West Euro-MP and Burnley councillor Wajid Khan has written to them calling for their support for ‘better east-west connectivity from Lancashire to Yorkshire’.

The Labour MEP says the benefits to the whole region would be considerable.

Mr Khan’s letter tells the two senior Conservative politicians that the potential extension of the M65 and the re-establishment the missing rail link between Skipton and Colne would provide ‘an essential improvement to the infrastructure, passenger and freight connectivity between the North-West and North-East’.

It goes on to say: “The economic and social impact of the two schemes would extend across the north and provide relied to the congested M62.

“East Lancashire communities are amongst the most deprived in the UK and improved transport links would provide improved infrastructure for business.

“The government has a duty to rebalance the development for North and South.

“It would show the government is serious in its vision for the ‘Northern Powerhouse’.”

The latter has been approvingly shared on facebook by Hyndburn Labour councillor Noordad Aziz.