AN APPEAL to Deputy PM John Prescott is the last resort for Central Railway's proposed freight link through Bucks, according to MP Dominic Grieve.

Mr Grieve, Tory MP for Beaconsfield, said: "The current application is dead. While the idea behind the scheme is undoubtedly a good one, the proposal is completely unworkable."

The £5 billion scheme which would take freight from Liverpool to Lille has caused huge concern in Bucks.

Central Railway has asked Mr Prescott for a special bill, called a Hybrid Bill, to avoid the public inquiry stage of the process.

A Central Railway spokesman said: "We are keen to have a speedy resolution to this situation and we see the alternative of a Hybrid Bill as the best way to reach this resolution and end the uncertainty."