RESIDENTS living close to the site of the proposed Mersey Gateway Bridge have voiced their protests to the scheme.

People living in the Warrington Road area of Runcorn waved banners outside the ongoing public inquiry into the £431m project.

Later Martin Ramsden, spokesman for Warrington Road Residents’ Association (WRRA), said allowing the bridge would be a "catastrophic decision".

In his opening speech to the planning inspectors, he said: "Do you want your town split in two? Do you want to be choked by the pollution of 80,000+ vehicles travelling through the geographical centre of your town?

"Do you want perfectly good footbridges, roads and busways torn down?

"Do you have concerns regarding children playing within feet of a motorway?"

Mr Ramsden outlined the concerns of some of the 15,000 residents who he said were directly affected by the new bridge.

The main concern of residents living on Warrington Road, which faces the existing Central Expressway, is an increase in traffic using the road en route to the new bridge.