Warburton Toll Bridge free to use during three months' roadworks

The Warburton Toll Bridge spans the Manchester Ship Canal

A toll bridge linking Cheshire and Greater Manchester will be free to cross during three months of roadworks, its owner has said.

Warburton Toll Bridge will go down to single-lane traffic but remain "fully operational and safe", said Peel.

The company said the toll booth and its staff were "not needed" during the maintenance work, which follows "a routine engineering inspection".

Peel's plans to increase the toll from 12p to £1 will be debated in November.

It has previously said the rise was needed to pay for improvement works.

But Warrington's two MPs and the two councils which the bridge spans, Trafford and Warrington, have objected.

The proposed new toll charges were first announced last year.

The bridge, first built in 1863, is the only route across the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal between the M6 and M60.