A MEMBER of the County Durham Local Transport Plan Partnership has resigned because of the number of new road projects approved by the Government.

Paul Worsnop was the representative from the Local Agenda 21 Sustainable Communities Initiative on the partnership.

He saw the process as a chance to shift the balance of transport investment from roads to more sustainable options.

But he said: "Having seen the Government's response to the recent submission, and from national reports of transport plans generally, I now realise that belief was hopelessly misplaced."

Mr Worsnop said he recognised that some local communities will benefit from the proposed schemes, particularly the Chilton bypass, but felt that the wider picture should be presented.

He said: "The Government has shown that it has no intention either of seeking to reverse the inexorable growth in road traffic, with all the problems that brings, nor to break the bureaucratic log-jam, which, in effect, prevents rail projects being pursued through the local transport plan process."

In a letter to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Mr Worsnop said: "Since I am not prepared to give my time in support of a process which ultimately will add to the county's problems of pollution, traffic congestion and increasing greenhouse gas emissions, I shall be resigning from the Local Transport Plan Partnership."