RESIDENTS are hoping that a refurbished play area unveiled in Middlewich this week will not turn into a waste dump once again.

Congleton Borough Council has ploughed £20,000 into Newton Bank and transformed it into a community garden.

After more than a year of planning, work has finally been completed on the new landscaping and pathways to create a fitting gateway to the town that was unveiled on Thursday.

The land, which joins Chester Road, Nantwich Road and St Michael's Way, has been neglected over the years and has turned into a dumping ground for waste and litter.

Plans to restore the eyesore have taken more than 18 months to finalise for a number of reasons, including some residents not approving of draft plans that were sent out for consultation.

Borough and county councillor Dave Sutton, who has been working on the project, said: "This is brilliant news for the town and is a long time coming.

"But it shows that the public consultation has obviously paid off and people have contributed ideas to the designs and got what they want."

But Colin Robbins of East Road hopes that the area will be maintained.

Mr Robbins, who has lived in the town for five years, said: "I have spoken to people in the area who say there was a play area there before and it was left to turn into a waste land.

"I just hope that because the council is spending £20,000 that the same thing will not happen again and that the site can be maintained."

jdriscoll@guardiangrp.co.uk