LEIGH residents are fuming over the closure of a footpath off Atherleigh Way while work begins on building a new Sainsbury's supermarket.

The closure, close to Sportsman Street and Clifton Street means pedestrians have to "dice with death" crossing the busy bypass or travel a quarter of a mile to the traffic lights at Twist Lane and Atherleigh Way.

Anthony Peers of nearby Lowood Street said: "Hundreds of people a day have been using this path to cross at the pelican crossing but it has been blocked off and school children and residents now have to either dice with death and risk their lives trying to cross here or taking the alternative and walking almost a quarter of a mile to cross at the next set of lights at Twist Lane junction.

"Everyone is disgusted and we want something doing about it."

But a council spokesman said that, despite what most people thought, the footpath was not a public right of way.

He commented: "The footpath isn't a public right of way and will soon cut through what will be a dangerous building site, so developers have the right to close it off.

"We have been reviewing the situation and we are pleased to report that the developers have agreed, in spite of having no legal requirement to do so, that they will be making the footpath a permanent feature of the site after the new supermarket is built."

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