A 'DEATH trap' footpath across one of East Lancashire's fastest roads is to be closed after years of campaigning by residents, councillors and MPs.

The path running across the A56 Haslingden bypass, which links the M66 with the M65, will be diverted in the next 12 months.

MPs Janet Anderson and Greg Pope had long called for the footpath to be closed or for a footbridge to be built over the road, in a bid to prevent accidents.

But the Highways Agency had refused to spend the £250,000 to build a footbridge, since only 31 people a day used the ancient footpath.

Now they have decided to foot the bill to divert the footpath to deter pedestrians from crossing the 70mph route.

The path was mainly used by workers on Carrs Industrial Estate and families whose children attend Stonefold Primary School.

The last fatal accident on the road was on Christmas Eve 1988, when Haslingden girl Christine Lynn Hanson, six, died, after being hit by a car while crossing the road with friends.

Three years ago Haslingden schoolboy Simon Laughland, 14, died after being hit by a car when he ran across the nearby Edenfield bypass. His death prompted calls for the footpaths on both roads to be diverted or closed, or for footbridges to be built.

Today, Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "I am delighted at the news that the Highways Agency has agreed to pay for this move. "Janet Anderson and I have been campaigning for years for this and we met with the Highways Agency last year.

"The current situation is a death trap as cars speed down the bypass. I am sure that the people of Haslingden will welcome this as we do.

Janet Anderson, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said: "Great. We are going to get this at last. It's brilliant.

"It is great for both the safety of pedestrians and the road users. Both I and Greg Pope, whose constituency the footpath is now in, have campaigned for this for years. We are delighted."

The two footpaths on the Edenfield bypass remain open, although lighting and signs in the area warning drivers about pedestrians have been improved.

Mrs Anderson said: "I hope that following the diversion of the Haslingden footpath the Highways Agency could be persuaded to divert the footpaths on the Edenfield bypass as well."

Gill Peterson, headteacher of Stonefold Primary School, also welcomed the closure of the Haslingden bypass footpath. She said: "It is a very dangerous road. I know there are signs warning drivers that pedestrians use the road, but half the time I don't think people notice them.

"Cars travel along there sometimes at 60, 70 or even 80mph. At the moment, I don't think any of our pupils use the footpath, but up until the summer we did have some who used it.

"John Cowpe, acting borough engineer for Rossendale Council, said: "It used to be green fields where the footpath is and when the dual carriageway was built the footpath remained.

"The only way to divert the footpath to avoid the A56 and a potential highway hazard, without building a footbridge, is to create a lengthy diversion to the north to Commerce Street and then across an existing bridge and back down into Carrs Industrial Estate.

"This would all be subject to consultation, landowners' agreement and legal requirements, but the welcome news is that the Highways Agency has agreed to fund the diversion."