Thousands of tonnes of material from a runway at the former Samlesbury Aerodrome are being recycled.

The huge expanse of asphalt, previously part of BAE Systems Samlesbury site, has been the testbed for dozens of aircraft since the 1940s, and is currently being dug up as part of preparation work for the expanding Samlesbury Enterprise Zone.

Rather than simply disposing of the old asphalt, the county council is working with highway industry experts to process part of the runway into a new material which is being used to resurface rural roads.

Around 17,000 tonnes of this recycled material will have been used to resurface roads in Burnley, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, and Wyre this summer. Any remaining material is planned to be used to maintain roads as part of the county council's annual capital programme.

The recycling operation is due to be finished by October so that redevelopment of the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone site can progress.

Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, Rupert Swarbrick said: "The Samlesbury Aerodrome has been the birthplace for decades of technological innovation, and I'm very pleased that we're playing our own part in this as we prepare for future construction at the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone, which will secure the future of high-tech industry at this site.

"We're increasingly taking advantage of developments in the highways industry such as the availability of recycled asphalt to reduce the environmental impact of maintaining our roads.

"As well as helping to cut our carbon footprint, we no longer have the waste, and cost, of disposing of the old road surface.

"Another real positive with this scheme is that, due to the sheer size of the old runway, we're using a special machine to recycle the material directly at Samlesbury before taking it straight to the sites where it will be used to resurface our roads, significantly cutting the road miles which would otherwise be travelled to process it beforehand."

Head of Sustainability at BAE Systems Air, Hannah Swindell added: "We were delighted to support activities such as this which help reduce the environmental impact on our communities. Like Lancashire County Council, we are committed to driving down our carbon emissions and helping the drive towards net zero, and being able to support this activity is just a small example of that in action."

The runway at Samlesbury has played a key role in the development of dozens of aircraft since the aerodrome was established in the 1940s. The first aircraft wholly designed and built at the site was the English Electric Canberra which saw its maiden flight in 1949.

County Councillor Shaun Turner, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: "It's very fitting that we're continuing the proud history of leading-edge technology being employed at Samlesbury even as we remove the old infrastructure to lay the ground for the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone."

The recycled material being made for use on the roads is used to form an initial base layer, with the final 'surface course' being laid on top of this.