WATER bosses have issued an explanation to residents in Hollins about the lack of work on a road which is closed off to motorists.

The customer services team at United Utilities wrote to householders after they complained no-one was working on Croft Lane last week.

The letter said: "This is due to unidentified cables and utility apparatus in the ground that need diverting."

Engineers returned to the street on Monday and United Utilities expect to finish work up to Croft Lane Bridge by December 19.

The full length of Croft Lane will re-open from December 20 to January 5 so residents are not inconvenienced over Christmas and New Year.

Work is expected to finish on February 16 and United Utilities has pledged to write to residents again in the New Year with an update on its progress.

The letter added: "The shuttle bus we have provided for Blackford House Medical Centre will be temporarily suspended from December 19 and will resume on January 5.

"We're sorry if this work affects you and your daily routine.

"We would like to thank you for your continued patience and cooperation.

"Our people on site will do all they can to help you should you have any problem."

The lengthy closure of the road has also sparked claims that it has increased rush-hour delays and queues on the M60, particularly around junctions 17 at Whitefield and 18 at Simister, where there are also roadworks in place to build a "smart road" network.

Since July, Highways Agency staff have been working on the project designed to get traffic moving more freely between junction 8 of the M60, near Sale, and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale, from the autumn of 2017.

A second phase has now started and engineers are set to build a steel safety barrier and create five narrow lanes between junction 18 and junction 20.

The westbound side of the carriageway between those junctions will be closed from 11.45pm today until 5am tomorrow and diversions will be in place.

Speed limits have been set at 50mph since the start of the work.