TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling has backed reviving plan for a bypass around Colne when he visited the town yesterday.

The Cabinet Minister met the leader of Pendle Council Cllr Paul White and Lancashire County economic development boss Cllr Michael Green to discuss the options for a new road to ease congestion caused by trans-Pennine traffic coming off the M65.

Mr Grayling was taken to to see first-hand Vivary Way and North Valley Road which can be clogged up with jams at busy times.

In 2014 plans for Colne to Fouridge bypass were shelved by Lancashire County Council because of public opposition to all six potential routes.

Mr Grayling said: “At the moment the M65 ends in a car park. As a result Colne suffers serious congestion caused by through traffic.

"We need to look at what can be done to ease the flow of trans-Pennine traffic around Colne I think a bypass is a possible solution and I came to the town to kick tyres to see what can be done to restart the process of looking at this.

"The government is committed to spending over £28 billion on our roads by 2025.

"As a department we’ve released the Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programmes to which highway authorities, like Lancashire County, can apply to for funding for major schemes like a bypass for Colne.”

Cllr White said, “I took the opportunity to lobby Mr Grayling on the case for a Colne bypass and I will continue to ensure Pendle Council does all it can to make the case for one.”

Cllr Green said, “There is a real economic benefit to the whole of East Lancashire if we can find a suitable route for a possible Colne and village bypass."