AN environmental campaigner has demanded that Middlewich be compensated for the pollution it may suffer when a truck manufacturer relocates in the town.

Norman Leigh, founder of Friends of the Environment, believes that when ERF moves its factory from Sandbach to Middlewich, traffic will surge in Lewin Street and residents will face "an overdose of pollution".

He is urging ERF or developer Pochin to make amends for any pollution by finding the money for the completion of the Middlewich bypass.

Norman, of Lewin Street, speaking on behalf of Friends of the Environment, said: "The residents of Middlewich may wish to know that by permitting ERF to relocate in Middlewich, the borough council has approved a scheme to switch environmental pollution from Sandbach to a greenfield site in Middlewich; and seemingly without public debate.

"We find it difficult to accept that Pochin or ERF cannot be persuaded to find the money for the completion of the Middlewich bypass out of the profits and savings gained from the construction and re-siting of the factory.

"Environmental pollution already troubles the young and old of Middlewich."

Norman warned that the group may take direct action if its requests are not met.

He said: "We anticipate that if the completion of the bypass does not become a reality before ERF's factory begins operations, there will be sufficient unrest in Middlewich to cause interruptions of traffic flows to the ERF factory and other factories served by the incomplete bypass. Let us hope that this will not be necessary."

But John Bryant, group managing director of ERF, has said that the company's new site at Midpoint 18 in Middlewich will in fact help to reduce the volume of ERF traffic in the town.

He said: "Our new site can be accessed direct from the M6, therefore traffic is likely to avoid the centre of the town completely. All truck and piece parts will also be delivered using this route.

"From August 2000, we will only have one site and therefore there will be little need for ERF personnel to commute between Sandbach and Middlewich, and we anticipate that there will be a substantial reduction in ERF traffic passing through the centre of both towns during the day.

"ERF is an environmentally aware company and always takes the necessary steps to ensure the protection of the environment, whether that is in the choice of site location or its selection of manufacturing equipment."

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