CIVIC leaders in Darlington are to press for the notorious A66 road to be fully dualled along its route around the town.

The Government pledged last month to fully upgrade the notorious stretch from Scotch Corner to Penrith, in what represented a major victory for The Northern Echo and safety campaigners.

Although work to improve the road's safety record could take up to 20 years, Transport Minister John Spellar has given a commitment to spend £141m on the 50-mile stretch.

But council chiefs in Darlington say they will continue to call for a dualling scheme to be put in place on the single carriageway stretch which bypasses the town.

Borough council leader John Williams told a cabinet meeting that upgrading the road could bring a huge boost to the local economy.

Work on the town's 28-acre site Morton Palms business park is providing high quality hotel, office and leisure facilities, and could lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs.

Coun Williams said: "We have great aspirations for the economic development of that area and want to encourage employers to locate there.

"We need an infrastructure in place that will service their needs and that, quite frankly, means a dual carriageway.

"It is particularly important that we continue to press the case for that."