Wessex Water work at Stoke St Gregory road could be 'chaos', parish council say (From Somerset County Gazette)

Wessex Water work at Stoke St Gregory road could be 'chaos', parish council say

11:00am Friday 28th September 2012 in News By Daniel Milligan

WATER mains work to part of a major link road in Stoke St Gregory could cause ‘chaos’, the parish council has said.

Wessex Water is planning to start work at Griggs Hill around February next year as part of their wider scale projects to upgrade the county’s water pipes.

But Cllr David Wells, vice chairman of the parish council, said he is worried that if the road is closed there could be serious disruptions to travel.

He said: “The length of the proposed closure is six weeks which would be the worst case scenario.

“This is the only access into the village suitable for all traffic from Taunton and North Curry.

“The alternative route, Huntham Lane, is very narrow and if there is ice and snow which is likely in February this would just add to the chaos.

“Other than that, you would have to divert traffic through Burrowbridge and Stathe which would add 15 minutes to a one minute journey – a traffic light system would be better than a total road closure.”

District councillor for North Curry and Stoke St Gregory, Gill Slattery, said she can fully understand why the works have to take place.

She added: “If there is one ray of sunshine, at least it isn’t happening in November or December which was originally planned because the shops and pubs Christmas trade would be affected.”

Wessex Water and Somerset Highways are still in discussions about the traffic management for these works.

The water firm also say that the piping network around Griggs Hill is more than 100 years old and needs to be upgraded to meet the demands of future population and to maintain the water quality.

A spokesperson added: “To reassure residents, we want to cause as little disruption as possible and that letters and diversion signs will be sent out before any work takes place.”