MP RUTH Kelly wants to resurrect the controversial M6-M61 link road and claims there is a "powerful case" to build the new road.

And in the House of Commons yesterday, she joined forces with Wigan MP Neil Turner to appeal to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and his ministerial team to support the case for the new A5225.

The Bolton West MP said that the road would dramatically reduce congestion in Westhoughton and boost employment in her constituency.

Speaking at Westminster, she added: "The merits of the scheme are manifold and include a dramatic reduction in congestion in the area, an improvement in pedestrian safety, and important benefits for investment and employment in the region.

"It is also one of the few road schemes around which would bring real environmental improvements to the area through increased public transport use.

"A new A5225 would relieve the A577/A58 network and provide good access between the motorway network and industrial or commercial development areas as well as communities along the route -- this could attract investors, for whom the present inadequate road network is a considerable disincentive, creating a fast link between Westhoughton, Wigan and London."

The leader of Wigan Council Peter Smith, who represents Leigh central ward, said: "We fully support the proposal. It would relieve traffic through Wigan and parts of Bolton. It would free up a lot of the congested routes for public transport services. It opens up a lot of potential industrial sites which are really land-locked at the moment, which would provide jobs for the people in the Leigh area. As far as I'm concerned the sooner the route is built the better."

He added most of the route -- which has already been approved at a public inquiry -- would be on former industrial land which were effectively "brown field" sites.

But Westhoughton's town council leader has said he is "amazed" at the actions of the Bolton West MP. Cllr David Wilkinson said he could not understand why she has appealed to the government for cash and support for the ill-fated A5225, which has been planned for nearly 40 years.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Wilkinson claims the route, which would link the M6 at Orrell to the M61 at the Chequerbent roundabout, would increase traffic travelling through Westhoughton and would cause damage to the environment.

He said: "I am amazed at this, I can only think that Ms Kelly has taken leave of her senses."

The Wingates industrial estate had been built and was filling the town's roads full of traffic. He added: "Many people have campaigned to stop development at that site. What is needed is a transport policy which gets more people using public transport, not building more and more roads."

In 1996, following a public inquiry, a Government Transport Inspector said the roads in Westhoughton would soon become intolerable without the new route.

However, the government, while agreeing with the need for a scheme, took it out of the trunk road network and ordered no work be done.

Progress has been halted while the Wigan and Bolton local authorities sought private cash to pay for it, although it is likely public funding will now be needed.

Ms Kelly added that if the scheme went ahead now, it would be more modest, probably not a dual carriageway as originally planned, and probably not separated junctions.