PENDLE peer Lord Tony Greaves has expressed fears a new consultants' report could scupper the reopening the Colne to Skipton rail link.

He raised the issue with junior transport minister Baroness Vere at Westminster on Monday.

Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves told her former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had backed the reopening of the line and asked for a report into its viability as a cross-Pennine freight route to justify its reinstatement,

He told Baroness Vere: "A new team of consultants attended a routine meeting of the project development team in Liverpool on September 26.

"According to people present, the new contractors said that the route was entirely unsuitable for freight of any kind. Can she investigate what is going on?"

She replied: "Work is continuing apace to understand the amount of freight demand that is not currently being and may be met in future by reopening this line, as well as to look at the commercial viability of the scheme."

Lord Greaves said afterwards: “We we must not give up the struggle.”