AFTER more than six months of campaigning, councillors in Winwick have decided to take matters into their own hands in cleaning up the gateway to the village.

Rubbish, ragwort, rubble, tyres and bin bags litter the M62 roundabout, which the parish councillors believe gives a bad impression to people entering the village.

Members have been asking questions of the borough council and Highways Agency since summer of last year and have now decided enough is enough.

Parish Councillor Joan Worthington raised the issue in a borough conference last year, only to be told it was the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

The agency, in turn, said it was up to contractors Parkmans to manage the area on its behalf.

In October, borough council officers were working with the agency in redeveloping the roundabout and arranging sponsorship schemes - but there has still be no improvement, according to the parish council.

Members have branded it "a disgrace" and have now vowed to try to clean it up once and for all.

Chris Hagget, clerk to the parish council, said: "We've been complaining since last summer -but it is getting worse, not better."

There has been some speculation that Countryside Properties, the developers who created the new Winwick Park houses, might be interested in sponsoring the roundabout and cleaning it up in the process, but nothing has been confirmed.