A PACKAGE of road safety measures is to be drawn up in a bid to tackle traffic problems in Colne.

A list of possible work in the Horsfield area of the town will be put to the county surveyor to see how practical and affordable it is.

The move follows heated exchanges in the council chamber at Colne Town Hall over whether Pendle Council was in a position to do anything to prevent a spate of accidents in recent months.

Labour councillor Roger Abbiss accused the council's Liberal-run Colne area committee of adopting a "Pontius Pilot" attitude and said it was washing its hands of the problem.

He said the committee should be prepared to put forward some of its budget towards the cost of safety schemes to persuade the county council to bring the area forward in its list of priorities.

Committee chairman Councillor Tony Greaves pointed out that the county put money into traffic safety schemes in areas where there had been fatal or potentially fatal accidents, a policy he had criticised in the past.

The committee agreed to set up a working group to look at safety measures in the area. A second public meeting is to be held in Horsfield in the autumn.

The council is also to look at the possibility of making the side streets in the area and in the neighbouring North Valley estate part of a 20mph zone.

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