A SURVEY found as many as 80% of people living in Crewe and Nantwich are against scrapping the borough council.

The 'Quality of Life' survey of around 1,500 people living in the borough invited views on issues including personal safety and what aspects of local life need improving.

But the news 80% of people surveyed rejected the idea of abolishing the borough council in favour of a single-tier 'super council' for the whole of Cheshire will come as encouragement for the Tory-led borough council ahead of tomorrow, the closing date for the return of the borough-wide ballot on the future of local gover nment.

Deputy council leader Margaret Simon said the findings of the survey were a victory for common sense.

She added: 'These results demonstrate unequivocally that people living in Crewe and Nantwich are not in favour of unitary councils.'

She added results would now be presented to the Government alongside the results of the £100,000 ballot.

But critics of the Tory administration have said the timing of the release of these results was worrying ahead of tomorrow's referendum deadline.

Council Labour group leader Steve Hogben said: 'It's interesting that the only thing they've chosen to publicise in terms of the Quality of Life survey is the unitary issue.

'This could be seen as a serious effort to affect public opinion.'