FEARS of increased traffic congestion when the massive Omega business park development goes ahead have been raised by parish councillors in Westbrook, Winwick and Burtonwood.

More than 7,000 jobs could be created in Warrington over the next 15 years as part of proposals for a large employment park on the former RAF Burtonwood site.

The scheme to build offices on the 226-hectare site is gathering pace and could be ready to be put before Warrington Borough Council's development control committee by the end of the year.

However, parish councillors fear that roads already overburdened with traffic will be unable to cope.

Clr John Gordon, chairman of Winwick Parish Council, said: "Omega could be great for the area but it doesn't take much to cause a gridlock in Winwick.

"When they built Gemini in Callands, no thought was put into the road network and we need to ensure that the mistakes of that development are not repeated."

Burtonwood parish councillor John Higham said: "The worry is that even more HGVs will use Burtonwood when Omega goes ahead.

"Years ago there was supposed to be a bypass built from Junction 8 to Sutton, which would have kept HGVs from coming through the village but nothing seems to have come of it.

"Omega will be good for employment but we must make sure that it does not impact negatively on Burtonwood's roads."