Farthinghoe residents want scrapped HS2 money for bypass

Parish council chairman Mick Morris said Farthinghoe deserved a bypass

Villagers who said they had been affected by HS2 construction traffic said money saved by scrapping part of it should fund a bypass instead.

Campaigners in Farthinghoe, south Northamptonshire, said they suffered "constantly" because of the rail works.

Last month, the government scrapped routes north of Birmingham due to spiralling costs.

The Department for Transport said it would be up to the local council to take a bypass scheme forward.

In October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the Conservative Party conference he was putting an end to a "long-running saga" by cancelling the rest of the project - meaning only the leg from London to Birmingham will be built.

He said he would spend "every single penny" of the £36bn saved on hundreds of new transport projects in the North and Midlands.

There is very little room for larger vehicles to pass on the A422 as it winds through the village

Mick Morris, who chairs Farthinghoe Parish Council, said his village deserved some of the cash.

"Constantly, we're having traffic jams that are caused by drivers stopping and sorting out the problems in order to get past each other," he said.

"What we've been calling for, for over 30 years now, is for this village to be bypassed."

Construction for the London to Birmingham leg of HS2 is well under way in the surrounding countryside.

Mr Morris said the parish council has had to ask the developer several times to stop their tipper trucks coming through the village.

HS2 Ltd told the BBC: "HS2 does not route construction traffic through Farthinghoe. Other roads in the area better serve our building of the railway."

Wendy Hancock said she had to block off her front door because of the lorries driving so close to it

Residents like Wendy Hancock would welcome an end to the noise. Her house is alongside the A422 and lorries pass very close to her front door.

She said: "The noise is dreadful [and] my front door can no longer open because it's far too dangerous for anyone to walk down this narrow pavement."

West Northamptonshire Council said: "We are in dialogue with the parish council regarding their desire for a bypass for Farthinghoe.

"We are working on potential solutions to address the issues caused by the constraints of the existing A422, and will seek to engage with stakeholders and residents in due course."

The Department for Transport said: "The A422 is a local road and is the responsibility for West Northamptonshire Council, and it would be for the council and local partners to take forward any scheme on this route at Farthinghoe.

"As part of the £36bn saved from HS2, £4.7bn funding will be redirected to areas in the North and Midlands through Local Infrastructure Transport Settlements (LITS); this could potentially fund any future scheme, but would have to be a major priority for the local authority and the business case would need to demonstrate good value for money."