MOTORISTS are facing more Traffic hell with the ninth major works scheme in three years on a busy main road.

Drivers using the A666 through Darwen face long delays when Blackburn with Darwen Council starts a scheme to re-surface and repair the road, kerb and footpath between Radford Street and Grimshaw Street, a stretch of almost 1,300 metres.

The eight week project will start on February 5 and signs have been put up warning drivers to expect delays until at least the end of March.

It is the third set of roadworks to be announced in the space of a month.

At present work to replace a section of Victorian water pipe is causing delays at the other end of the town.

Sections of road between Earnsdale Road and Veronica Street have been dug up by North West Water and traffic has been queuing to the M65 interchange.

And later this year gas supply company Transco will be digging up the road just south of Darwen as part of a scheme to lay a new gaspipe between Samlesbury and Helmshore.

Traders and motorists in Darwen have hit out at the announcement, particularly as it will mean both ends of Darwen are being dug up at the same time. Since 1996, Darwen has been faced with regular traffic congestion.

The sorry tale started with water pipeline works at the Earnsdale Road junction, Darwen.

Since then there has been sewer pipe work for new houses at Craven's Brow, Darwen, in January 1998, sewer repair work, in Lower Darwen, in April 1998, resurfacing work, at Ewood, September 1999, bridge strengthening, near Blackburn Infirmary, in October 1999, water mains work, in Duckworth Street, Darwen, in November 1999.

Imtiaz Ebrahim runs a newsagents which will be directly affected by the council work.

He said: "It's ridiculous. Every year there seems to be a scheme to dig up the road. If it isn't the council its the gas or the electric or the water. I cannot see why all the work can't be done at once.

"My shop is right where the roadworks start and I cannot get any passing trade."

Darwen Coach Services transport manager Phil Radcliffe said: "It's a pain in the backside. Why the council cannot co-ordinate work like this is beyond me." Darwen councillor Paul Browne said: "Whoever, decided to sanction this work is thick. This will gridlock the centre of Darwen and make it impossible for drivers to get through.

"Why couldn't they have waited until the other scheme had finished?"

A spokesman for North West Water said they had done so much work on the A666 because the mains pipes and sewers underneath the road through Darwen were Victorian cast iron that needed replacing.

Transco said their work was being carried out to improve the gas supply to East Lancashire which was in need of bringing up to date.

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said that it was the first resurfacing scheme in that area for a number of years.

"Our engineers will do all they can to keep the road fully open while work is carried out, but may need to reduce the carriageway to a single lane at some stages during the repairs.

"The works will only actually overlap by about three or four weeks, but during this time our work will be on the kerbs.

"Traffic lanes may be closed later by which time the North West Water works will have finished, but we try to keep this to off peak times."