PEOPLE will soon be striding out on a new path into town as the work to resurface the canal towpath nears completion.

A £185,000 project was launched in September to overhaul 1.7km on the Trent and Mersey Canal towpath between Croxton Trail and Town Bridge, which is said to be running on schedule.

Kerry Fletcher, from Middlewich Vision, which part funded the project, said: “Everything is running on time and there have been no problems.

“The works looks great – they’ve done a brilliant job and there hasn’t been too much problem.”

The project has come in under budget so British Waterways is now extending the job to include the length of towpath past the three locks and up to Wardle Cottage as well as the dangerous slope by the three locks.

Kerry is hoping once the project is finished it will encourage more people to use the canals.

She added: “It was a job that needed doing and a lot of people have said to me ‘thank God it’s being done’.

“We needed to make it as safe as possible and we hope that people will use it more now.

“I can understand people not wanting to use it before, because it was a complete mud bath, but it is a beautiful walk away from the traffic.”

The work is expected to be completed in the new year.