Andrew Cooper: Bypass will unlock opportunities for Middlewich

I pledged to people that if elected I would do everything I could to change this perception and on Friday there was a symbolic, tangible event which will genuinely begin to put Middlewich firmly back on the map.

Friday saw the official turf-cutting to mark the start of construction on the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, thanks to investment of more than £100 million.

Even after the announcement last year that the £48 million of Department for Transport funding necessary to take this project forward was in place, people have contacted and approached me to say they still did not believe it would happen.

But on Friday morning, with heavy machinery gleaming under the spring sunshine on site, I am pleased to confirm this major infrastructure project is finally becoming a reality.

It is a huge gesture of faith from this Labour Government and Cheshire East Council in Middlewich and its potential.

With a fair wind, it is hoped that construction of the bypass will be completed by summer 2028, and you will be able to drive along the road before the end of that year.

The road will help ease traffic in the town centre, improve journey times, and unlock opportunities for Middlewich and the wider area.

It will alleviate the pressure on Lewin Street with lorries from the likes of British Salt and Ansa to be diverted away from the centre of town.

The campaign for the bypass had been decades in the making, and I must pay tribute to the late Derek Millington for starting it more than 40 years ago and all the other campaigners who have pushed for it since.

As the first diggers break ground on the bypass, this is proof that persistence pays off, and moments like this matter at a time when more people than ever are questioning the effectiveness of politics.

My first year in office as your MP saw an awful lot of lobbying and meetings with ministers to get this project over the line, and now that it is happening, I can tell you that hard work really does pay off.