A PARISH council which could see the heart of the two villages it serves cut in half by HS2 has presented their case against the national rail scheme.

Rixton with Glazebrook Parish Council handed in its report highlighting the pitfalls of the plans which would see the high speed railway line run through it.

Under the proposals a spur line would cut through the area on a viaduct as it crosses over land including the Manchester Ship Canal and busy motorways and roads.

Report author Clr David Trenbath said: “It’s going to split the community of Rixton with Glazebrook, they are two villages and the viaduct is going to go right through the middle of it.

“It’s going to be 30 metres high and 5.5 km long and the sound is going to be, we are told, around 74 decibels. But studies of other high speed trains suggest it could be closer to 84 decibels which is the industrial high level.

“The villages have already been affected by house value decline. It is approximately 10 per cent at the minute.

“We have already lost house sales because of the rail plans.

“It’s not going to have any positive affect.

“There has been no planning application, or environmental implications for the area.”

The report calls for a change to the route so that Warrington itself can benefit from the line feeding into the West Coast Mainline before Warrington Bank Quay.

It also says a final option would be to not build the spur from Lymm to Golborne until a decision is taken to extend the line to Scotland.

The report comes as Warrington Borough Council prepares to put forward its final response to the HS2 plans with councillors set to discuss the matter at an executive board meeting on Monday at the Town Hall.

Council leader Clr Terry O’Neill, who received the report from the parish council along with borough Clr Tony McCarthy and Clr Bill Brinksman, said: “We have big concerns with the spur line which would cut through this part of Warrington.

“I think a lot of the concerns from groups and parish councils will be taken on board in that.”