'Super' city plan to revive North

Mr Prescott believes the M62 corridor is ripe for economic take off

Plans for a super city of the North running along the M62 could be the lasting legacy of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Mr Prescott believes the band of land from Liverpool to Hull is ripe for economic take-off.

Meanwhile agencies from the North West, North East and Yorkshire are meeting on Tuesday to discuss how to unite to improve their economic punch.

The agencies believe a united approach could rival London's wealth.

The agencies are hoping to devise a joint strategy to break the North's image of an industrial wasteland compared with the prosperous South.

They are backed by Mr Prescott who believes the M62 corridor is going to become increasingly important with Hull the gateway to the Baltic and the markets of the Eastern European countries about to join the European Union.

'Prezzagrad'

"Let us look East and West along the corridor, our traditional growth and wealth-creating area," Mr Prescott told BBC North West Tonight.

According to reports in The Sunday Times, Mr Prescott wants to see an extended urban belt along the M62 with spin offs to Newcastle and Sheffield.

It would be similar to the stretch of land in the USA from Boston through New York to Washington and has been nicknamed 'Prezzagrad' after the Deputy Prime Minister.

The cities would retain separate names and authorities but are seen as a single economic unit.