Report by NICK SMITH

ANGRY residents claim a main road has become noisier - after being resurfaced with the wrong kind of chippings.

Householders living near the A54 Station Road bypass in Winsford say the work has made their lives a misery and are demanding action.

"It's like living next to a race track," said Patricia Wilkinson of Rilshaw Lane.

"When they did the A54, they put down a noisier surface. We feel there are quieter surfaces around.

"The sound intensity limit is 85 decibels and even when the traffic is moving at 60mph, it is far above this level."

Mrs Wilkinson has started a petition - and has already collected over 60 names. And since she started her campaign, over 30 residents have written letters of complaint.

"We have asked for speeds to be reduced as there are two exits onto the bypass, one to Station Road, one to the Grange Nursing home," she added.

The road was re-surfaced in 1996 with tar and chippings.

But since then residents say they have been unable to sit in their gardens or open their windows on hot nights. They also claim their beds shake when lorries drive over special strips designed to cut speed.

But the county council are unlikely to resurface the road again.

A spokesman said: "It is not ecenomically practical to reconstruct the road at this time.

"When we laid down this stretch of road, we wanted to improve skid resistance to make the road safer and while there are quieter surfaces we could use, the chippings are a nationally accepted method.

"The residents are concerned about the noise but also the levels of speed and we have asked the police to carry out enforcement on the road."

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