So begins the grim assessment of Keith McKernan, one member of the growing band of protestors furiously campaigning against plans to move the Royal Lancashire Show to Myerscough.

And, as someone who lives right in the middle of the A6 in nearby Barton, where thousands of cars are expected to rumble their way to the three-day show, he should know.

To call the A6 through this part of the world an accident blackspot may be a stretch too far.

But neither has the main road, off the notorious car park that is Broughton roundabout, enjoyed a completely unblemished history.

Keith himself has seen accidents close to his home, while last June 14-year-old Bradley Dargavel was killed in an accident at the Broughton crossroads.

The idea of moving the Royal Lancashire Show from its previous home at Salesbury to Duchy land at Myerscough first came to the public's attention around eight months ago. Shortly afterwards, the No2DuchyPark campaign group was formed amid growing fears the estimated 60,000 visitors heading to the show would send north Lancashire's roads into meltdown.

On the A6 alone between Broughton and Garstang there is expected to be 5,000 extra cars over the three days of the show next July – and that is based on three people per car.

The plan, if Wyre Council gives the go-ahead, is to hold a further 25 days worth of events at the site throughout the year.

No other events are planned for 2008, but there could be seven more events in 2009 and 2010.

If a separate plan to turn the quarry land into a Duke of Lancaster Park is subsequently granted, there could be all kinds of events all year round from 2010 onwards.

"We have got a total lack of amenity for this sort of thing here," explains Mr McKernan.

"What we experienced in October this year was the road was blocked from 3.30pm to 8pm and there is no reason at all why we should have congestion in October.

"There were no roadworks, no accidents and you can't even blame the summer traffic. It is just that more and more people are choosing to go down the A6.

"Lancashire County Council highways will tell you that if you start getting queueing traffic then you are going to get more accidents.

"If you have got 60% of the traffic to a show coming along a road that is already overloaded, most people would say that it is not an ideal site."

This week council bosses began a long-anticipated land grab to kick-start the Broughton by-pass project.

It is hoped the road, which will be designed to help reduce congestion, will be completed by 2011. But the need for it in the first place is just another argument for not bringing the Royal Lancashire Show to Myerscough, says Mr McKernan.

He adds: "If it has been acknowledged for 20 years that this road is needed then it raises question marks as to why you would add to the problems on the roads.

"I don't live adjacent to the site so my main concern is the traffic going past here, but there are other members of the group who live on the perimeter of the site.

"The Duchy has applied for 28 days to use the site and for the Royal Lancs Show they are talking about a 10-day setting up period and a five-day taking down period. So for all that time, they could have heavy goods vehicles and traffic going past their homes and work going on all around them."

For their part the Duchy has put in place a thorough traffic plan it says will ease the pressure on roads to the event.

But plans for a contingency diversion for traffic from south of the show, which takes in the A586, have also been heavily criticised.

Campaigners believe it could cause gridlock along the already congested A585, which sees 23,000 vehicles a day travel along it.

Meanwhile, claims from the Duchy that, even with Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre traffic using the A585 and A586 route, there will be "extra capacity" on the roads, have been scoffed at by campaigners.

The bigger problem is that the Royal Lancashire Show is by no means the only potentially congestion-sparking development on the horizon.

The first phase of the Barton Grange Garden Centre development at Brock is expected to be completed in February.

Predictions of increased traffic flow to the new site have varied wildly, but hundreds more cars, at least, will visit.

Added to that is a major housebuilding programme detailed in Wyre Council's local development plan, which will see thousands of new homes built across the borough.

And hugely controversial plans for around 650 homes at the former Whittingham Hospital site have sparked furious protests from residents.

The plan is due to be considered next year, but hundreds of residents who have turned up to meetings to express their fears have told how the added traffic – expected to be some 2,400 movements a day – could overload roads like Brabiner Lane and Haighton Green Lane.

The overall outlook, says Preston Council leader and rural north councillor Ken Hudson, is bleak.

"What we are projecting is total gridlock at the north end of Preston," he explains.

"You already have traffic queueing from the Withy Trees and even the English Martyrs, to Broughton. It is absolutely horrendous.

"We want Wyre to thrive and create jobs and homes but there has got to be a recognition that Preston cannot stand all this traffic.

"Until there is a major access strategy formulated and put in place, then things like this are going to exacerbate the situation."