A NEWLY upgraded stretch of the Middlewich towpath was officially unveiled on Friday.

Cheshire East mayor Margaret Simon had the honour of cutting the ribbon and gave a speech recognising it as an important development in the expanding Middlewich Vision.

The £300,000 project has upgraded 2.2km of towpath along the Trent & Mersey Canal between Croxton Trail and the junction of the Wardle Canal in the town centre.

This has included the construction of an entirely new section of towpath along the canal at Croxton, saving walkers from using a busy section of road. The works included new surfacing, signage and safety barriers.

Clr Chalky White, chairman of Middlewich Vision environmental group, said: “The towpath has been upgraded to a superb condition which will benefit walkers, cyclists and other users.

“The extra work by waterways staff in tidying up the wharf area has really put the icing on the cake.”

The towpath improvement is the latest in of a series of projects aimed at developing the Weaver Way – a Cheshire nature and heritage trail linking Frodsham with Audlem.

Julie Sharman, general manager for British Waterways (Wales and Border Counties) said the work was part of a bigger picture for improved leisure and tourism in Middlewich.

She added: “The finished product will be a fully accessible stretch of towpath improving access to events like Middlewich Boat and Folk Festival, which last year played host to 200 boats and saw 20,000 visitors enjoying the occasion.”