A BUSINESSMAN backing Halton's bid for a new Mersey crossing has blamed the Olympic Games for halting the project.

John Lewis, a marketing director at The Heath Business Park in Runcorn, is reiterating residents' fears the Olympic bid has left the Government short of cash to spend on other schemes.

Although the Daresbury International Science and Technology Park is to receive a £50m windfall to benefit the region, the future of the long-anticipated new Mersey Gateway hangs in the balance.

The borough will have to wait until January 2006 to discover whether the Government intends to provide the required investment .

Mr Lewis suggests the Government needs to ask itself whether we want to become a nation of leisure or a nation of science and innovation.

'Is it feasible for the Government to support anything of this nature when the Olympics is going to take so much of its revenue?' he said.

'At the moment the biggest slice of funding is going to Daresbury, with £400m spent on Ineos.

'The bridge is something that would have benefits on both of these projects so it doesn't make sense.

'It makes me wonder whether there are other ma-jor projects earmarked for the North West that might not get the monies allocated to them.

'I must admit when I first heard about the Olympics - which is great for the country as a whole - I thought it would put the knife in and have a negative effect on the bridge.'

The Government expects Halton Borough Council to carry out further appraisal work to assess the bridge's economic and environmental impact.

The leader of the council, Tony McDermott, has already expressed concern about how much the extra appraisal work will cost the authority.

Mr Lewis believes it is time for the Government to be honest if it does not intend to commit itself to the project.

He said: 'If they don't intend to provide the revenue that's needed they should be honest enough to say so.

'The borough can then make other arrangements and seek out other funding.

'We could perhaps get money from Tongling in China as we have a close partnership with them.

'We just need enough money in the pot to allow us to achieve our goal.'

A spokesman for the Department of Transport has dismissed claims the Olympic bid has interfered with revenue funding as 'wild speculation.'

There could be no comment either from roads minister Stephen Ladyman who is currently on a ministerial break.

A spokesman for Daresbury said the laboratory prefers not to comment about the latest bridge delay.