Weather blamed as roadworks overrun

Lancashire County Council highways officials had originally been hoping that drainage work on Clifton Drive North would be completed in half term week last month.

Poor ground conditions caused the work to overrun by an initial two weeks but now the timetable has been extended further, with an expected finish later this week.

Despite initial praise for the way delays were minimised, long tailbacks have continued at rush hour and motorist Russ Brookfield, of Clifton Drive North, said: “Trying to get between St Annes and Blackpool is terribly time consuming and frustrating. Is it not reasonable to expect work to continue through the weekends or even through the night to get the work finished as soon as possible?”

Bev Wood, chairman of the St Annes Enterprise Partnership, said: “Retailers and businesses are sympathetic to the need to maintain our roads but better signage to re-direct traffic to less congested routes into the town would help.”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “We are sorry not to have been able to complete it as quickly as we would like. Progress has been made difficult by the very poor ground, and recent stormy weather has not helped.

“We also had some periods when some staff were unavailable due to winter gritting duties. We fully expect to complete these essential drainage repairs this week.”