The DUP has hit out at the Regional Development Minister for being excluded from the opening of the new Ballynure bypass in Northern Ireland.

South Antrim DUP MP William Mc Crea, who was against the project from the start, said other roads of "strategic importance" still remain unrepaired.

Mr McCrea said: "I suppose failure to forward any invitation was to save the Minister embarrassment. The Minister will well remember how I brought him down to Ballynure and together we toured several farm properties, endeavouring to stop the destruction of prime farmland for what many locals perceived a 'vanity project' for some roads engineer.

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"Sadly prime farm land and farm businesses have been sacrificed and members of the local community still have major problems at Ballynure unresolved by the Department. At a time when public finances are limited I feel the Ballynure bypass was not value for money but the Minister rolled over to pressure from his Departmental officials rather than standing up for the community. Minister Kennedy is right the new bypass 'will remove traffic which travels through the village of Ballynure'. Does he not realise that passing traffic is essential as the financial life blood of businesses in Ballynure but that seemed of little interest to Mr Kennedy or his then MLA assistant in the Department Mr Kinahan."

(CD/IT)