A ROADWORK scheme to improve congestion and air quality in Darwen town centre has run more than £1million over budget.

The scheme was initially estimated at £1.4million but went up to £1.8million after Blackburn with Darwen Council awarded damages to the contractors, Shropshire-based Wrekin, because of delays in purchasing land for the scheme.

But information supplied to the Lancashire Telegraph following a request under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed that the total cost of the roadwork scheme then spiralled to £2,542,680 because of rising costs and the extra time needed to complete the work.

The Darwen Chamber of Trade have said it is disgraceful and any over spend on the newly-completed is unacceptable.

Improving Darwen's road network is one aim of the Lancashire Telegraph's We're Backing Darwen' campaign, launched in a bid to help revitalise the town.

Andrew McAllister, president of Darwen Chamber of Trade, said: "It is disgraceful. Any overspend is unacceptable but to run that much over budget is just bad management by the council.

"That kind of money, if raised, could have been spent on many other things in Darwen."

Tony Melia, For Darwen ward councillor for the Sunnyhurst ward, said: "I'm stunned, that amount of overspend is outrageous.

"We have inherited this from the Labour administration and we have been left to pick up the tab.

"It is an amalgamation of extraordinary bad management and bad organisation."

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The funding for the Darwen Town Centre Highway works were inadequately estimated and we have had to put in additional funding, that we would have preferred to spend elsewhere, in an effort to make it a workable scheme.

"The effectiveness of the scheme will be monitored in terms of traffic flows and congestion.

"The impact on air quality are being measured in the area, as it has been designated Air Quality Management Area."

Coun David Smith, Labour ward councillor for the Sunnyhurst ward, said: "If it has gone over budget then it is a poor do.

"But the Darwen Town Centre Partnership which included members of the Libral Democrat party and other groups were involved with the roadwork scheme throughout so they should have known.

"Some contracts come in over budget and some come in under budget."