COUNCILLORS have questioned a delay in completing work on a long awaited safety crossing on a dangerous stretch of road in Middlewich.

As reported in the Guardian in February, Cheshire County Council began work on a safety crossing on the A54 Holmes Chapel Road to the delight of campaigners who fought for years to make the road safe.

Janet Mills, coordinator of the county council's Safer Routes to School scheme, had hoped that the puffin crossing would be completed by the end of March but according to town councillors the work seems to have ground to a halt.

Clr Simon McGrory, who leads the Middlewich Vision's transport and infrastructure committee, said that although some work has been done on the road, it is nowhere near completion.

He said: "They have put anti skid road surface in place and dropped kerbing has been installed but they have covered over the line markings. The work just seems to have come to a grinding stop.

"We know the funds are in place for this so why is there a hold up?"

Clr Paul Edwards added: "There's no time line in place for it to be completed and no one seems to be able to tell us what is going on."

A spokeswoman for Cheshire County Council explained that the work has stopped because contractors were waiting for a utility company to connect the traffic signals, although she was unable to say when that will happen.

She said: "We are waiting for the power supplier to connect the electricity. Once it has been connected our contractor will put in the traffic signals and install the control box. Once this has been done we anticipate getting in straight away to finish off the work."