CALLS are mounting for a motorway park and ride scheme to ease congestion in Burnham and Highbridge during the construction of Hinkley Point C.

This website, burnhamandhighbridgeweeklynews.co.uk, broke news last week that EDF Energy has offered £100million compensation to surrounding areas for the new nuclear power station.

The majority would be spent on major infrastructure works and the remaining £20million on schemes suggested by the community - 20 times what was originally offered.

Burnham and Highbridge town councillor and Hinkley Point stakeholders committee member Neville Jones believes a park and ride should be built at junction 22 of the M5.

He said: “A sizeable amount of workers will be coming from north of Burnham towards Hinkley Point so we should be looking to relieve the congestion at junction 23 and through Church Street in Highbridge.

“We [the town council] also felt workers could go by sea using the £85,000 jetty at Burnham but that hasn't been taken up.”

The park and ride suggestion will be raised at the next full Burnham and Highbridge Town Council meeting on Monday.

Kerry Rickards, chief executive of Sedgemoor District Council, said he was 'not overwhelmed' by EDF's £20million community fund offer, but added it was a 'step in the right direction'.

Richard Mayson, from EDF, said it was committed to managing or mitigating the impact of Hinkley C and its associated developments, but anti-nuclear group Stop Hinkley said the £20million community fund was “tiny compared to the estimated £10 billion cost of building the two reactors.”