PRESSURE is mounting on Peel Ports to refurbish Warrington's three swing bridges after it failed to deliver on a commitment to start work this summer.

The town's three swing bridges – which cross the Manchester Ship Canal – are situated on Chester Road, London Road and Knutsford Road.

The port operator has previously confirmed it would cost around £500,000 to repaint each structure – £1.5 million in total.

Last year, Warrington Borough Council (WBC) leader Cllr Terry O'Neill announced Peel Ports had finally agreed to carry out the work following widespread public pressure.

He confirmed, following a meeting between council chiefs and representatives from the company, that the ‘three-year bridge repainting programme’ would start in summer this year.

But anger is growing after a lack of action.

Cllr Bob Barr, leader of the town's Liberal Democrats, said: "It is disappointing that Peel have failed to fulfil their promise to refurbish Warrington’s swing bridges.

"This is the latest Peel decision where the company acts inconsistently.

"As one of the largest land owners, and owners of the Ship Canal, which splits our town, the company has an obligation to treat its residents fairly by having a constructive relationship with WBC and sticking to its undertakings.

"Instead, we get unpainted and unreliable swing bridges, inefficient tolling at Warburton, poorly maintained infrastructure on the Ship Canal and pressure to build on the green belt.

"Peel must learn that might isn’t right and that they owe the residents of Warrington more corporate social responsibility than they currently display."

The council says the responsibility for the maintenance of the swing bridges rests with the port operator.

A spokesman added: "Over the past two years, we have liaised with Peel over the appearance of the bridges which are not conducive to a positive image of our town.

"We look forward to working with Peel in order for them to come forward with solutions for improvement."

Peel Ports Group has issued a statement in response to the concerns.

A spokesman said: "We remain focused on addressing concerns raised by the community, which is why we have committed to restorative works across the swing bridges and Warburton Toll Bridge.

"Our initial priority, as was agreed when this commitment was made, was to undertake works on the Warburton Toll Bridge due to the congestion issues in the area.

"We can say that plans for this are under way, although there is a statutory process to go through which is time consuming – an update on progress will be available before Christmas.

"We will look to work with Warrington council to determine which of the three remaining bridges take priority once works on the Warburton Toll Bridge are complete."