COUNCIL tax payers in Bury could be hit with part of a £250,000 legal bill - unless a dispute can be settled over 500 metres of railway track.

East Lancashire Light Railway Company bosses want to extend the line to Heywood but say they are at their wits' end following a decade of wrangling with Railtrack and British Rail.

The East Lancashire Railway must secure a Light Railway Order for 500 metres at Heywood before the extension can open.

Chairman Trevor Jones said: "The rules concerning Light Railway Orders changed in 1993 and if we are successful, ours will be the last one ever granted.

"If we cannot reach agreement with Railtrack in the next few days we will be forced to reapply under a Transport and Works Order.

"On top of the cost of council officers' time this will mean legal fees of £250,000 and a five-year delay.

"I cannot understand Railtrack because they would benefit financially if the line was eventually opened for business use."

Railtrack's alleged intransigence threatens 25 jobs at an engineering firm in Bury which repairs and renovates trains. But if it did open, the line would bring massive potential in terms of jobs, business, travel and tourism.

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