Concerns have been raised over “inadequate and ill-informed” information provided on the controversial HS2 tunnel, while the county council claims it has been “left in the dark” over the programme.

Councillor for Great Missenden, Peter Martin, said communication from HS2 has been “inadequate and ill-informed”, adding nothing has been done to alleviate residents’ concerns.

Speaking at a meeting of Bucks County Council’s (BCC) transport, environment and communities select committee yesterday (September 25), Cllr Martin said: “In Missenden, my ward, we have regular engagement sessions with HS2, they have local meetings, but the information that residents want is not forthcoming.

“For us we want traffic volumes, traffic information for our highways authority.

“That has not been forthcoming, clearly that’s what our residents particularly interested in.

“I have found HS2’s engagement has not been comprehensive enough, that answers to burning questions have not been forthcoming.

“My feeling at the moment is their communication is inadequate, is ill-informed, and is not helping to allay residents’ concerns at all.”

Main construction of the 15.8km-long Chiltern Tunnel will start just inside in M25, south of junction 17, and will come out northwest of South Heath.

Work is expected to start in 2019 – and two huge tunnelling machines, each two football pitches long, will be used to dig through the land.

BCC’s cabinet member for transport, Mark Shaw, agreed HS2 chiefs need to “step up” their communication to the highways authority as well as local ward members.

He raised concerns that BCC is not being provided with information required to answer residents’ questions, including what work is due to take place when.

Cllr Shaw said: “What [HS2] have to improve, have to step up on, is their ability to communicate, how they are communicating, and disseminating information, not just to us as the highways authority, but individual members, the effects on individual members’ divisions and to have some sort of scale knowing when things are going to be done.

“We are just as much in the dark as our residents, and as divisional members. This is one of the things that gives us great concern, is we don’t have all the answers that I know you are keen to have and your residents are keen to have.”

Director of environment services at BCC, Martin Dickman, urged residents to report and complaints or requests for information on the HS2 website, so teams can improve the service.

He said: “We appreciate the frustration, we are pushing really really hard to get the information.

“But what is critical is people need to go via the HS2 website and make a complaint or make a formal request for information, because that is the only way HS2 will change the way they will do things.”