A DELEGATION which went to London to try and secure £63 million towards dualling Carrington Bridge has come under fire from a Labour politician - who has labelled it a "shameful missed opportunity".

Councillor Richard Udall, the chairman of Labour's County Hall group, said the politicians missed a "rare chance" to call for a Northern Relief Link Road and a new river bridge linking the A449 to the M5 north of the city.

As your Worcester News revealed yesterday, all three south Worcestershire MPs and senior representatives from the county council held private talks on Tuesday with road minister Robert Goodwill.

The meeting, at the Department for Transport's London HQ, was aimed at lobbying him for cash towards the estimated £70 million cost of dualling the bridge.

Cllr Udall said: " It is rare to get the chance to lobby Government ministers - when we get the opportunity we need to maximise the benefit to the county not waste it on seeking funding for vanity projects such as widening the existing Carrington Bridge.

"Everybody in Worcester knows the real problem is a lack of a ring road and the need for a new river bridge to the north of the city.

"Ignoring this and asking for money for the wrong scheme is a shocking insult to the motorists who currently queue in traffic congestion in order to cross the city.

"It is a slap in the face for the residents who live in houses on congested routes, Worcester people are choking from car exhaust fumes.

"If the government has a spare £63m it should not be wasted on widening an existing bridge it should be spent on helping to build a new bridge for Worcester, they have their priorities all wrong."

Worcester MP Robin Walker, who took part in the talks, said: "We did discuss the Northern Link Road, but it's about what is actually deliverable.

"Labour were in power for 13 years and didn't actually deliver a penny towards the infrastructure we actually need, all Richard has done is succeeding in bringing attention to that.

"Labour has been banging on about the northern link for most, if not all of my lifetime but when they were in power did abbsolutely nothing about it."

At the talks Clare Marchant, county council chief executive, John Hobbs, one of her directors and Councillor Adrian Hardman, the leader, were also present, as well as Sir Peter Luff and Harriett Baldwin.

Mr Goodwill was told about the business case for dualling the Carrington Bridge.

The county council has agreed to stump up £7 million towards it if a bid by Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership for £63 million to the Government's Local Growth Fund is accepted.

Back in 2010 the estimated costs of a Northern Relief Link Road topped £100 million, and last year the county council admitted it would be off the agenda until after 2030, mainly due to the staggering costs and the fact most house building is factored around south Worcester up to that period.

Under the 2010 plans the northern link would have run from the A449 Claines roundabout to the A44 Crown East island.