A TOWN councillor has expressed his ‘shock’ at Middlewich’s omission from Cheshire East Council’s air quality review.

On July 28, CEC revealed that data from its air quality monitoring had deliberately and systemically manipulated between 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The investigation highlighted five areas across east Cheshire that may have had planning applications impacted by incorrect air quality assessments.

However the figures submitted to Defra included towns with declared Air Quality Management Areas, which Middlewich doesn’t have.

Cllr Jonathan Parry said: “I believe that more attention should have been given to Lewin Street in declaring it an AQMA.

“I am very interested to see what figures have been sent to Defra. Questions have to be asked now and I am shocked that more figures weren’t reviewed on this.

“It angers me when I hear people say that we should just let the borough council get on with it because there isn’t enough being done.

“Instead of waiting for the air quality figures to go over the threshold for NO2 levels, why not do something about it to prevent that happening in the first place.

“Sometimes it takes 30 minutes just to get across the centre of town and we’re preparing for more HGVs with the waste hub and yet we’ve been told the air quality is fine."

The CEC report also suggested that the declaration of air quality management areas may have been affected by manipulation.