WORK to fill four major underground salt mines in Northwich town centre is progressing to plan despite public concern the project had stalled.

As reported previously in the Guardian, Northwich resident Frank Fallows believed the project was on hold.

But Vale Royal Borough Council chief executive Anne Bingham-Holmes has confirmed the £32million mines stabilisation project - which will see the abandoned Penny's Lane, Witton Bank, Barons Quay and Neumanns sites filled - is still on schedule for 2007 completion.

She said: "We are 50 years ahead of time. I do not want people of Northwich thinking the mines are about to collapse.

"When the stabilisation project started the council put guidelines in place primarily as we have traffic problems already and we did not want to blight the town centre.

"I think as people do not see the disruption, such as mixing trucks, they do not believe infilling is taking place.

"We have a project which is on time and the developers are a victim of their own success, because it is the lack of disruption which makes people think nothing is happening."

Wrekin Construction area manager Richard Stirling said a Brunner Mond mixing plant computer monitoring system - which records 18,000 units of information per second - is a vital part of the project.

He added: "We have various methods we follow such as seismic monitoring and we are also undertaking solar and precise level surveys as well as daily monitoring water and brine.

"To date we have not recorded any movement in the bottom salt mines but the whole town is blighted.

"It would be a catastrophic scene if something did happen but this is not imminent."

Selena Pearce, English Partnerships National Programmes manager, said the organisation is happy to show support for the project, which has so far seen the successful filling of Neumanns and Pennys Lane mines.

She added: "I cannot understate what a difficult scheme this is.

"This project, in which we are one of the major stakeholders, unlocks the regeneration of Northwich town centre.

"We are expecting an inward investment of around £300 million across Northwich and will safeguard and create jobs."

The Baron's Quay mine is currently being filled and the Witton Bank site is five per cent complete.