A row has broken out after council bosses admitted they delayed an announcement that plans to build a road around Shrewsbury had been put on hold.

Members of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said Shropshire Council knew that the North West Relief Road had been halted by the Department for Transport for nine working days but delayed making an announcement to the public.

But council bosses said today they could not reveal there had been a delay because of the General Election.

Andy Boddington, chairman of CPRE Shropshire, said: “This is an astonishing discovery.

“Council officers were running exhibitions consulting on the North West Relief Road without revealing that they knew government had put off its consideration of the scheme for at least a year.

“It is disgraceful that the council felt it fit to run a consultation during the run up to the election yet held this vital information back.

“Candidates were arguing for and against the road at hustings not knowing the whole situation had changed.”

He added: “It is absolutely clear that the council will not get funding for this road any time soon.

“It is highly likely that the road will never be funded.

“The council has behaved outrageously.”

But Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said the council’s hands were tied because of the election.

He said: “We were under strict guidelines during the pre-election period, and as the relief road is closely tied into national policies, we issued the information as soon as we possibly could once the general election was over.”

Earlier this week Shropshire Council announced the North West Relief Road has been put on hold by the Department for Transport.

To find out more about the road visit www.shropshire.gov.uk

To find out more about CPRE Shropshire visit their website at www.cpreshropshire.org.uk