United Utilities has been carrying out work in the Oakmere, Cuddington/Weaverham/ Barnton locality for nearly two years with the aim of installing a new sewer between Oakmere and Barnton.

To date, this has involved considerable disruption and delay due to works on the A556 through Oakmere, the country lanes around the periphery of Cuddington, and most notably Hodge Lane.

Hodge Lane is an essential route to bypass the traffic jam which is Hartford during the morning and afternoon peak periods.

The closure of this vital road  has massively exceeded the periods notified to road users in advance of the works.  More recently, the Whitegate Way has been closed in Cuddington where it joins Waste Lane.  Having walked the Whitegate Way at the weekend, I saw a sign on display stating closure of the footpath until the end of April 2018 to facilitate works.  It is now nearly the end of May, and this public footpath remains closed.

Furthermore, I do not recall there being any consultation or advance notification of this happening.

As the ‘heras’ barriers had been broken down, and the closure notice out of date, I continued along the full length of the Whitegate Way, passing through the works.

I observed that the footpath is in a very poor state following excavation by United Utilities, and the residue of its works will take a significant  amount of time and effort to restore the footpath to the state it was in before.   There is also a substantial amount of waste and associated  paraphernalia along the length of the footpath.

Additionally, I  noted that United Utilities is pumping water from the excavation and discharging into Cuddington Brook – does planning approval give them permission to do this?  It is clear to me that the remaining works on the Whitegate Way will take some weeks to complete, and then a substantial period of cleaning up and restoration will be needed.

This goes considerably beyond the April 2018 date quoted on the notice.  I raised these issues with Cuddington Parish Council, which also expressed concern at the protracted nature of the works, and the lack of notification of the closure of the Whitegate Way.

I have written to Cheshire West and Chester Council about the following: 1 The outrageous amount of time for which the works have necessitated the closure of Hodge Lane, and the disruption this has caused to road users and residents 2 The unwarranted closure of the Whitegate Way, and the impact this has had on the recreational use  of this essential walking/cycling/bridal way 3 My concern that the Whitegate Way will not be restored to its original condition 4 My observation that United Utilities is discharging into Cuddington Brook 5 The lack of communication with Cuddington Parish Council to update and inform the council and residents on the works and the expected impacts – this was promised to the council as a courtesy, but to my knowledge it has not delivered on this undertaking.

The works undertaken by United Utilities have affected multiple parishes for an extended period, causing residents loss of time, increased cost of motoring and, more recently, the impact on recreational value of the Whitegate Way to residents and commuters.

Dr Lee Jones Cuddington