Cheshire East has agreed to put an extra £18.4m towards the Middlewich Bypass as costs soar because of the crippling inflation rate.

Council leader Sam Corcoran (Lab) said the Local Government Association had appealed to government to cover 'unprecedented increased costs' for infrastructure schemes but added: "This council needs to make provision, and this administration is showing its determination to deliver the Middlewich Bypass which the three Labour councillors of Middlewich campaigned hard for."

Cllr Sam Corcoran

The money for the scheme, which is now being costed at £92.5m, will be vired from allocations for exceptional inflation and strategic projects.

Middlewich councillor Carol Bulman said: "A few weeks ago when I heard inflation was such a rate that that was endangering, to some extent, the project- that there might be delays, my heart sank because we've been fighting for this since about 2015, and some councillors even long before that.

Cllr Carol Bulman

"We have had a lot of planning permission given to developers to build houses in Middlewich and they're all coming on stream now so our roads are about as congested and our air quality about as bad as it has ever been. I'm very grateful this money has been found."

Cllr Rachel Bailey (Audlem, Con) said: "I was delighted to bring forward the Middlewich Bypass project during my time as leader, jointly with MP Fiona Bruce.

"I've been disappointed it hasn't come forward in a more speedy manner and disappointed we now face the 10 per cent inflation.

"The costs to the residents of Middlewich in the intervening period have been the air quality they've endured as well as the traffic issues that are well known."

Middlewich councillor Mike Hunter (Lab) said he first started knocking on doors to campaign for a bypass more than 30 years ago.

Cllr Mike Hunter

He thanked council officers and councillors of all parties for their efforts.

"The Middlewich Bypass has seen many false dawns but the bypass doesn't just mean a bypass at Middlewich, it has many benefits as in air quality," said Cllr Hunter.

"We have a number of applications on the new employment site which have been passed and have to have access from the new bypass."

He said it would take traffic away from Booth Lane and stop Ansa vehicles going through the town.

"I am utterly frustrated in the delay but I do understand," he said. "I really, really hope that there no more false dawns."