Beneath the afternoon sun, Robert Carr gently sweeps his paintbrush along the front of his 300-year-old cottage. He pauses intermittently and descends his step ladder to chat to passers-by. It's a sight not uncommon here in the idyllic village of Simister, in Prestwich.
Yet, just yards from this peaceful scene runs one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the North West. Each day, around 90,000 vehicles pass through Simister Island, which links the M62, M60 and M66 motorways and takes its name from the nearby village.
