The long-awaited Middlewich Bypass is now under threat unless the government stumps up the £1.74m funding promised by HS2, Cheshire East has said.

Members of the council's corporate policy committee were told on Thursday, scrapping HS2 would not only have a devastating impact on Crewe but it would put other schemes at risk.

One is the Middlewich Bypass, which has been delayed for years resulting in the cost spiralled to an estimated £95.74m.

Just last month the council agreed to put in an extra £3.24m to cover the rise since February – but £1.74m of that was to have come from HS2.

The council is now calling on the government to honour that funding.

Deputy council leader Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind), pictured below said: "HS2 had committed to provide £1.74m of match funding towards the Middlewich Eastern Bypass. Clearly that is now at risk – perhaps small beer in comparison to the overall cost of the HS2 project but certainly not small beer to this council."

(Photo: Cheshire East Council)

Director of finance Alex Thompson said the council would continue talks with the Department for Transport and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to try and secure the money.

"The £1.7m referred to for the Middlewich Eastern Bypass – that is equivalent to 1,000 council tax payments so it is significant at a local level, even though it may seem small amounts being quoted in relation to the overall [HS2) project," said Mr Thompson. "And that's just one tiny element of the impact locally on our budget."

Middlewich councillor Carol Bulman (Lab), pictured below told the committee: "If the Middlewich Bypass does not happen because of this, the cost to a small town like Middlewich is enormous, it's huge.

"We've been waiting 30 years for this… It's £1.7m so I really hope we can challenge government to at least make good on some of the fall-out of this decision."

(Photo: Cheshire East Council)

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, a clearly angry and upset Cllr Bulman said the council had every right to demand the funding 'given the messing about'.

"There's a chance we'll get it, but there's certainly a chance it will fail," she said.

"There's no guarantees here so we'll call a meeting with all our MPs for Cheshire East and try to get them to lobby on our behalf as soon as possible because you don't want the project going cold."