Bridge closure, bus axe and detour maroon villagers

(Inset) Parish councillors Terry Colquitt (left) and John Anderton on Ditton Bridge, which has been partially closed due to emergency repair work

People living in a village claim they have been marooned by a bridge closure, bus cancellation and five mile detour all at once.

Ditton Bridge, which runs over the West Coast Mainline and Ditton Brook near Widnes in Cheshire, has been reduced to a single lane - and only for traffic leaving the village.

With no buses running in or out, people have been left stranded and unable to get to work or medical appointments, local councillors claim.

The restrictions are in place while Scottish Power carries out urgent repairs.

'Frankly outrageous'

Residents returning home currently have to make a five mile detour via Halewood, with bus services through Halebank and neighbouring Hale Village cancelled.

Halebank Parish Council chairman Terry Colquitt said it was "frankly outrageous" that the community and the Parish Council had been given no warning about the bridge closure and bus cancellations.

A spokesperson for Scottish Power said the partial closure was part of temporary restrictions that had had to be put in place due to an underground cable fault and the need for urgent repair work to the local electricity network.

The firm said it had worked with the council to implement the least disruptive scheme and was "pulling out all the stops to ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible".

The work is due to be completed by Wednesday 4 September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A council spokeswoman said the work had to be carried out quickly as an emergency measure.

She said the authority had worked with bus company Arriva to put on a free shuttle bus between Baguley Avenue in Halebank and Eastern Avenue in Speke.