USERS of the Trans Pennine Trail through Latchford are delighted with an upgrade to its route.

The stretch between Greenalls Avenue and Walton Lock has had a long overdue upgrade, with the surface of the path raised and widened to three metres so that cyclists, walkers and disabled users can pass each other in safety.

A variety of grants made the work possible, with Liberal Democrat councillors Ted Finnegan and Graham Welborn instrumental in the securing of this funding.

Clr Welborn said: "The trail is used by many different parts of the community for all sorts of activities.

"People use it to get to work, school or college, to get to the shops, for watching bird life or for walking, running and cycling.

"For years residents had complained about the state of the trail, it flooded easily and kids had to trample through mud on their way to school."

Waste Recycling Group Ltd provided the majority of funding for the scheme from landfill tax credits, as well as funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Warrington Borough Council.

Clr Finnegan said: "We are very grateful for all the help and funding we received from the three organisations."

Rod King, of Warrington Cycle Campaign (WCC), said: "WCC is pleased that this section of the Trans Pennine Trail has been upgraded and now allows two cyclists to pass each other.

"However the Trans Pennine Trail through Warrington is still very badly surfaced in most places, unlit and has far too many barriers for it to be a practical utility route. It has such great potential to be a viable commuting route with the right hard surface, lighting and priority at junctions."