Aberdeen bypass appeal gets under way

Many business leaders in the area support the Aberdeen bypass

An appeal by a campaigner against the controversial Aberdeen bypass has got under way.

William Walton, from protest group Road Sense, lodged the legal bid to block construction of the £400m road.

The bypass was originally given the go-ahead by Scottish ministers in December 2009.

A judge previously ruled there were no grounds to overturn the decision to allow the 28-mile Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) to go ahead.

The appeal, before judges in Edinburgh, is expected to last several days.

Road Sense argues the process of route selection was "fundamentally flawed and unjust".

However, many business leaders in the area support the scheme.

The appeal is going ahead after it was agreed Mr Walton's costs would be covered, win or lose.