Large compensation bill for M60

The final section of the M60 cost £270m to build

More than £120m compensation is to be paid to people whose lives were hit by the building of the final section of the M60 Manchester ring road.

The 10-mile stretch from Denton to Middleton opened more than four years ago at a cost of £270m.

The compensation is for depreciation of property values as a result of noise, fumes and dust from the motorway.

But the Highways Agency said the road had improved transport links for residents and industry in the area.

A large amount of traffic had been taken off normal roads, improving road safety and boosting the economy, a spokesman added.

He said the compensation figure was so high because the road cut through a densely populated urban area.

More than £54m of the estimated compensation total has already been paid out.

Twenty-three thousand compensation claims have been made, of which 8,600 have already been dealt with and 11,400 are outstanding.

The differential are duplicate claims which have been discounted.