AN MP hopeful has said a second pot of funding is all that is needed for a Hereford bypass- but it must be to the west of the city.

Lucy Hurds, Hereford and South Herefordshire parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats, was concerned to hear of the suggestion from city and county councillor, Jim Kenyon, to build a bridge to the east of the city to link Rotherwas and Tupsley.

But she said with funding secured for the the Southern Link Road, the first part of the western bypass, the government are more likely to give funding for the second part, which would run from the A465, across King's Acre Road, and to the north of the city.

Ms Hurds said: "It is so important to get the A49 re-directed and out of the centre of the city. There is no dispute that there is a lot of internal traffic and it does ease at certain times, for example school holidays.

"But the freight traffic coming through, traffic on the A49, high emissions level on Edgar Street- they are all reasons why the A49 needs to come out of the city."

She said the council would not be able to get planning permission to build a bypass to the east because it is impossible to go across Lugg Meadows.

Ms Hurds said: "Jim's suggestion to build a bridge to link some traffic from Rotherwas across to Tupsley would move some internal traffic but it is not even in the Core Strategy at the moment. It is not a quick option and where would the funding come from?"

The Southern Link Road has received funding and is due for construction in 2019- it will run from the A49 south of the city and across to the Abergavenny Road.

She acknowledged that the last bid failed to gain funding for the next stage of the western bypass but said: " I don't think it was pushed hard enough"

Ms Hurds also said that there are other bids still in, which she continues to lobby on.

And she said if the A49 is brought out of the city more environmental projects can be done, as then there could be a central point for a park and ride.

She also said without the control of the Highways on the A49 through the city, the cycleways on the council roads could be linked.