A BYPASS designed to relieve congestion on the A27 will be put on hold if Ed Miliband becomes Prime Minister.

Under a Labour government the proposed Arundel Bypass will be sidelined due to environmental concerns of the dual carriageway going through the South Downs National Park.

The proposed delay to the £250 million project, which was revealed during the party’s manifesto launch yesterday, would be “very bad news” for the town, road users and the environment, according to Conservative parliamentary candidate Nick Herbert.

Labour said the delay on the bypass and another road scheme in Somerset would help fund a one year freeze on rail fares.

Mr Miliband also revealed his government would raise the minimum wage to more than £8 by October 2019, cut and then freeze business rates as well as ending non-dom tax status and zero hour contracts at the launch in Manchester.

Chancellor George Osborne announced in December’s autumn statement a new bypass at Arundel and an expansion of the bypass south of Chichester would both receive up to £250 million in funding.

Improvements around Worthing and Lancing costing up to £100 million were also announced and planned to be completed over the term of the next parliament while £100million had been “set aside” for the A27 east of Lewes should Gatwick be given the green light for a second runway.

Candidates from opposing parties were quick to criticise Labour’s announcement, with Liberal Democrat Norman Baker claiming they threatened safety improvement works between Lewes and Polegate while Conservative Simon Kirby said his party could offer both a fare freeze for five years and still relieve congestion on the A27.

Mr Herbert, Conservative candidate for Arundel and South Downs, said: “Labour has form on this, they cancelled the Arundel bypass when they were re-elected in 1997.

“In their manifesto they say they will invest in strategic highways and then in the same briefing document they say they will cull the scheme, I think it’s outrageous and hypocritical.”

A Labour party spokeswoman told The Argus: “We intend to go ahead with the works on the A27 with the exception of the specific Arundel bypass – this is due to cut through a National Park and so raises a number of environmental issues that need to resolved before we give this one section of road improvement the go ahead.

“Instead of an uncosted Tory plan they have no idea how they will pay for, Labour will deliver a fully funded rail fares freeze for one year.”