WORK to improve the highway and pedestrian footpaths will begin early next month on a busy Mid Cheshire road.

Council bosses admit traffic will face disruption when the A54 Middlewich Road between Winsford and Middlewich is closed at Clive for five weeks from Monday, March 6 while £280,000 resurfacing works are completed.

Bosses say extensive repairs to the adjacent footpaths and kerbing will eradicate existing defects and improve pedestrian safety while existing bus stops will be upgraded to provide safer passenger use of public transport. New lines will also be put in.

Cheshire County Council's senior engineer Ian Ronald said: 'Unfortunately, due to the width of carriage-way at this location, it's not possible to safely carry out the work using temporary traffic signals and it's necessary to close the road from March 6.

'While the closure is in place, through traffic will be diverted around Winsford to the north using the A533 Bostock Road and the A5018 Wharton Park Road.'

He said the number 37 bus would be unable to access the closed section of Middlewich Road, but would continue to operate using temporary bus stops provided on Road One and Bostock Road.

However, access to properties and businesses will be provided at all times via the Birch Lane junction.

Pete Gaskell, of Middlewich Road, said residents would welcome the move. He said: 'It's not going to be too bad for residents, a slight inconvenience no more. There have been another four or five accidents here in the last couple of weeks so anything that improves the road surface and makes the area safer is to be welcomed.'

But he added there had been a hitch sending special access passes to some residents. He explained: 'We received a franked envelope on Thursday which was supposed to contain passes for residents but it arrived unsealed and empty, so we are hoping the county council will be sending some more out!'

But Arthur Warner, a fellow Middlewich Road resident, said: 'The traffic is chaos as it is and this will make things even worse.

'It takes me 15 minutes to get out of Middlewich Road in the morning at the minute, and it's going to be a nightmare with all this work going on.'

Winsford mayor and county councillor Tony Hooton said: 'While the council has made every effort to minimise disruption, it does apologise for any inconvenience created.

'I would hope local road users will exercise patience and under-standing during the work period.'