ANTI-HS2 campaigner Ros Todhunter says the realigned route of the high speed link increases the risk of subsidence.

Ros is a geologist and member of Mid Cheshire Against HS2, which is opposed to the proposed high speed rail scheme.

Ros lives in Lostock Green, about one kilometre from the proposed new route of HS2 Phase 2b.

She said: “I have received a letter from HS2 Ltd with a booklet stating - ‘Change of route in the Middlewich-Northwich area to avoid existing infrastructure and to minimise the risk of subsidence’.

“In fact HS2 Ltd have not avoided existing infrastructure or minimised the risk of subsidence. The realigned HS2 route is directly over existing infrastructure and increases the risk of subsidence.”

A spokesman for HS2 Ltd told the Guardian: “Following public consultation of the route in 2013 we undertook further detailed studies of how to construct the HS2 line across Cheshire’s salt plain.

“The Government’s new proposals are the result of several years’ design refinement work to assess the impact on the area’s geology, infrastructure and communities.

“We believe that the proposed route announced on November 15 provides a better engineering solution for building and operating HS2 in the area.”

ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads Ros said that where the HS2 route crossed both the Tatton and Eddisbury constituencies HS2 Ltd had increased the risk of subsidence by adding a further two kilometres to the HS2 route with risk of subsidence.

“This two kilometres with risk of subsidence is in addition to the already proposed seven kilometres with risk of subsidence, from Wimboldsley to Whatcroft, which traverses and is located within a series of active subsidence hollows.

“The additional two kilometres of the HS2 route with risk of subsidence is over partly-flooded subsidence hollows and flashes between Whatcroft and Shipbrook, easily identified on HS2’s own plans.

“Also the new alignment of the route increases the length of the route over existing infrastructure.

“I implore HS2 to assess the safety impact of siting a high speed rail line that generates ground vibration waves.”

She is calling for a thorough assessment of the impact of ground vibrations in areas she said were known to be actively subsiding.

On November 15 the Government announced its preferred route for HS2 Phase 2b between the West Midlands and the north, which included design refinement to the line between Middlewich and Pickmere.

Public consultation on the new proposals runs until March 9, 2017.