THE deadline has passed for entries for a competition that aims to find Cheshire's best kept train station - and Northwich station has not been nominated.

Despite the Guardian highlighting the appalling state of Northwich's town centre station through its Stop the Rot campaign, which was strongly support by commuters and residents alike, little has been done to improve the site and it has failed to receive a single nomination for the new competition.

Organisers JPD Group has pledged to repeat the competition next year - and chairman John Hulme hopes Northwich will be making an appearance then.

He said: "Some of the county's bigger stations just did not figure in this year's nominations.

"Of course these busy town centre stations have their own specific challenges and they need to convince the people in the communities they serve that they need help if they are to be returned to their former glory.

Support

"If they had the support of folk like the ladies of the Women's Institute who keep tiny Acton Bridge station spic and span or the members of the North Cheshire Rail Users Group who tend to the gardens at Helsby station, then they would have stations to be very proud of."

Entries have come in from Delamere, Acton Bridge, Frodsham and Helsby, among others outside of Vale Royal.

The contest was boosted by the financial support of the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association, which agreed to provide a £50 grant to any local group that volunteered to give its local railway station a wash and brush-up to encourage a nomination.

Judges will now begin the task of finding this year's winning station.