EAST Lancashire’s roads are being snubbed by a £2million highways improvement drive, it can been revealed.

Just 15 per cent of schemes promised by the new Conservative leadership will improve roads and pavements in the east of the county – which accounts for half of Lancashire County Coun-cil’s population.

And one district – South Ribble – accounts for 29 of the 41 schemes that will be carried out, despite containing less than 10 per cent of the population.

The projects, which include road resurfacing and repairs to crossings, were promised by the Conservatives in the runup to June’s local election, when the Tories seized power for the first time for nearly 30 years.

Opposition councillors are furious and claim East Lancashire council taxpayers are “funding the Tories’ election campaign”.

Labour’s Coun Mohammed Iqbal, who represents Brierfield and Nelson North, accused the Conservatives of promising improvements in their key target seats in order to win power.

He said: “Nothing has been spent in areas where they didn’t have a chance.

“Now we are all funding their campaign and paying for repairs in far more affluent areas.

“They offered a bribe to the people, and now they are paying it back and it is unfair on other areas.”

South Ribble was seen as a key battleground in June’s election, and an analysis of the official election return reveals this was where the Conservatives spent the most campaign money per seat.

Of the eight seats up for grabs, the Tories increased their tally from one to six, wiping Labour out entirely.

Speaking at a full coun-cil meeting last week, council leader Geoff Driver said: “Where we made election pledges, notwithstanding whether the electors returned a Conservative candidate, those pledges will be kept.”

Coun Driver said the majority of a one-off £10million investment would be allocated across the county through the Lancashire Local committees.