A DISPUTE over the final bill for a multi-million pound relief road in Taunton continues to rumble on - a year after it was opened.

Somerset County Council refused to meet the developer's "excessive and inflated" demands for payment for completion of the Northern Inner Distributor Road (NIDR) after the first vehicles rolled across it.

The mile-long carriageway between Staplegrove Road at its junction with Chip Lane and Priory Avenue, which has since been re-named Trenchard Way, was handed over 27 months late by Carillion.

The company, which collapsed earlier this year, at one stage sent in a bill for almost double the projected cost, while County Hall said it wanted compensating for several missed deadlines.

The reasons for the delays have never been made public - an inner circle of councillors in the know had to sign a gagging order promising not to reveal what had happened.

READ MORE: The NIDR in Taunton is open - but questions remain

A spokesman for Somerset County Council this week said: "We repeatedly and robustly resisted Carillion’s excessive and inflated claims for costs.

"The matter remains with the official receivers and we are waiting to hear back from them."

When the NIDR went 'live' on July 11 last year, embarrassed county officials decided against an official ceremony.

Instead workmen at either end of the road simply picked up road closed signs and cones, piled them on to the back of their vans and drove off.

A group of cyclists were the first to use the road at its Priory Avenue end.

And there was a trickle of vehicles over the ensuing hours as people began to realise the road was finally operational.

Somerset County Gazette:
The ceremony to offically name the NIDR, Trenchard Way

The NIDR name passed into history last month when the road was renamed Trenchard Way in honour of Tauntonian Hugh Montague Trenchard - the 1st Viscount Trenchard - founder of the Royal Air Force 100 years ago.

He was born at Haines Hill, Taunton, in 1873 and spent his childhood in Courtlands, Norton Fitzwarren, before enjoying a distinguished military career, rising to Chief of the Air Staff when the RAF was formed in 1918.

His grandson, the 3rd Viscount Trenchard was guest of honour at the renaming ceremony, which included a flypast by an RAF A400 Atlas.