A LEADING Waterfoot councillor is calling for a £2million by-pass proposal to solve rush hour traffic to be scrapped.

Labour councillor David Hancock said a by-pass avoiding the town centre would destroy businesses.

But Lancashire County Council chiefs revealed that two mini-roundabouts and a puffin crossing at Bacup Road could be introduced as an alternative at a cost of around £160,000.

The scheme is being looked at in a Local Transport Plan which has three options under consideration.

They include retaining existing traffic signals with altered timings the by-pass scheme and the mini-roundabout proposal.

Under the proposals one mini-roundabout would be placed at the signal junction and the other would be at Cowpe Road.

A puffin crossing would be placed between the zebra crossing across Burnley Road 15 metres north of the mini-roundabout.

County council bosses say they are purchasing software that creates computer generated images to get an idea of how the scheme would look and work.

Lancashire County Council's David Harrison said: "We are pretty sure that this scheme will work but the computer programme will help confirm that. If it does then we will bring it forward for next year."

Coun Hancock said: "It is disappointing to see the by-pass has been included. I thought it was a dead duck.

"The A681 issue is not just a Waterfoot issue it's all along that road. Four years ago a by-pass was not a workable solution.

"The views of people living and working in Waterfoot have to be taken into account. I have always thought the by-pass solution was a sledge hammer to crack the nut and would just take vehicles round the back of the shops.

"The other two options deserve consideration, the by-pass doesn't."

He added: "If we compare the cost of the mini-roundabout scheme to the cost of a by-pass which four years ago was £2million it's a bargain at half the price."

Steve Taylor, of Steve's Quality Fruiterers in Bacup Road, said: "We do not need a by-pass in Waterfoot. The traffic problem was solved when we had the mini-roundabout. A by-pass would be the death of all the local traders."