CALLS have been made to highways chiefs to improve safety measures on one of Lancashire's most dangerous roads.

County Councillor Peter Britcliffe has contacted Lancashire County Council about the old zebra crossing on Blackburn Road in Oswaldtwistle after residents have reported a number of near-misses on the road.

The veteran council said: "It has been called Hyndburn's most dangerous road and I have put various requests to LCC to take action there.

"One of the problems is that the zebra crossing needs to be more visible for oncoming motorists.

"The beacons are very faint and the number of near-misses with cars going at ridiculous speeds is one of the main problems.

"I have asked if they could make it more visible by putting a halo around it or even upgrading it to a pelican crossing.

"I think it also needs to be painted again.

"It is a year since LCC put some measures on the road with some yellow lines to stop parking at certain points and they told me to give it 12 month to see if it makes a difference but is dangerous as ever.

"I have been campaigning with Sara (Britcliffe) for action on the road as we have been contacted by residents who are concerned about crossing the road.

"It is a clear and present danger to people nearby.

"The county council have to act before something happens."

It comes two weeks after the Lancashire Telegraph reported about a crash on the road.

Hyndburn MP Sara Britcliffe said: "I was driving on Blackburn Road on Wednesday night and I saw two cars racing each other.

"Enough is enough and we are 12 months on since measures were put on the road but it is still dangerous.

"The crossing needs to be more visible and noticeable so it is a safe place to cross for the residents and people using it.

"We have had a number of accident on there in the past and we don't want something serious to happen before measures there."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The police provide us with reports of all collisions resulting in someone being injured and every year we consider at which locations in Lancashire we could reasonably act to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"We have recently added parking restrictions around some junctions along Blackburn Road to improve visibility for traffic entering from side roads, and will continue to review the available information and intelligence for this location to see if any additions to this scheme would be appropriate.

"We will check the current condition of the road markings in this area in case work is needed to refresh them."