TRADERS have accused council bosses of creating a potential accident blackspot, by closing one of Blackburn's busiest roads.

Shopkeepers around Railway Road say they have seen dozens of near-miss accidents in the last week following the closure of Church Street, which is being pedestrianised by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Now a call has been made for a pelican crossing to be installed close to the junction of Church Street and Railway Road before someone is killed.

Pedestrians are supposed to cross over Railway Road at a crossing which links Blackburn Cathedral to Morrisons.

Peter Theodorou, who runs the Hake Boat chip shop in Railway Road, said: "This road is now an accident waiting to happen.

"People just won't walk the extra distance to the crossing before they across the road.

"The problem has become really serious now Church Street has been closed and traffic is being funnelled up Railway Road.

"Cars are speeding up there, as are the buses and the traffic calming hasn't worked. I have seen dozens of near misses and the scheme is only a week old."

The congestion of Railway Road, particularly in the afternoon, is affecting his business.

He said: "I see my regulars standing on one side of the road and they can't get across, so they just walk by.

"We need a pelican crossing at this end, not at Morrisons. People won't walk the distance and someone will be killed unless the council take action."

Some £2million is being spent on pedestrianising Church Street, with pavement cafes, shrubs and an ambitious public art project all being created to replace the traffic. Vehicles which used to just travel through the town centre are now diverted along an orbital route, with town centre traffic being routed along Railway Road, the Boulevard and Bridge Street.

Thousands of leaflets have been distributed to shops explaining what is happening.

Sadiq Patel, from the nearby Remix clothes shop, added: "It has made Railway Road impossible to cross and we have seen so many near misses."

Ian Richardson, traffic and transportation manager at Blackburn with Darwen Council said: "The new system only came on stream last Monday and we are constantly looking at ways of improving the pedestrian environment and improving conditions for all road users.

"We welcome all comments and our hotline (01254 680178) is open to everyone."

As the new system has only just come into operation, police said they had no accident figures which were relevant.

But a spokesman added: "We will be looking to see what happens."